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Posts tagged ‘praise’

Every day, I will praise You

Ps. 145 I will praiseEvery day I will praise You, Lord.

David, the Psalmist, makes this commitment in Psalm 145… daily praise, and even forever praise.  (verse 2)

Even though David was well aware that some days are tougher than steel and colder than ice.  Even though he knew that pain is real and piercing and that loss is inevitable and wrenching, and that there are moments when it’s all you can do just to breathe, David chose to say, “Yes!” to praise.

WHY?
Why choose to praise when there are days that we want to shout, with every fiber of our being, “No!  Oh, please, no… Lord, no.” ???

Read on, and look for David’s reasons (and for your reasons, too) in Psalm 145.  Then, let us think about this together.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Ps. 145 Great is the Lord3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Ps. 145 the Lord is gracious8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.[c]
Ps. 145 14 Lord upholds and lifts up14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

So, what are the reasons that David gives for his daily praise?

1.  The Lord is great.
He is great… far beyond our understanding.   (So, when we don’t understand… He is still great.)

“His greatness no one can fathom.” (3b)

Praise the Lord script2.  The Lord is worthy of praise.
A fact is a fact… no matter how we are feeling.  He is worthy.  Period.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise” (3a)

3.  The Lord has done incredible, mighty, awesome, wonderful things.
His creation and His recreation of our hearts and lives give us a glimpse, but we cannot begin to fathom all that the Lord has done.

4 One generation commends Your works to another;
they tell of Your mighty acts.

…and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.[ 5 b ]

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

4.  The Lord is majestic in His splendor.
We cannot even imagine the majesty of the Lord.

Take all of the most beautiful, awesome, and wondrous things and places you have ever seen…
take the vastness of space…
take the intricate and amazing work in a creature as tiny as an ant…
take the most majestic, sparkling, costly royal splendor that mankind has ever been able to produce (with the minds that He created)…

All of that, together, is a part of His creative and majestic creation (which is also a revelation of who He is).

But all of it together,
from the microscopic to the humongous beyond belief,
and from the wonder of all living things to the beauty of every kind of ecosystem…

reveals only a fraction of His majesty.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.

5.  The Lord is powerful.
If His works are powerful, how much moreso is He!  He made them.  They are just His creation, but He is the source of their power.

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works—

6.  The Lord is abundantly good.
Everything good comes from His hand.  He made everything and pronouced it “good” because His original Creation, before mankind brought sin, reflected the goodness of its Creator.  He is good in every way that it is possible to be good.  His goodness is cause for celebration!  His is not a false goodness.  It is not pretense.  It is righteous goodness.  He does not show preference.  He is good to ALL.

7 They celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

9 The Lord is good to all;
 He has compassion on all He has made.

7.  The Lord is righteous.
     He is not merely good… He is holy and righteous.  He will ultimately make everything right.  His goodness goes beyond what we know as goodness, because it is righteous.  It is totally pure… in love… in motivation.  There is no darkness in Him at all.  His righteousness produces joy. 

7b and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and faithful in all he does.

Ps 145  character of God v 8 and 9

8.  The character of the Lord is tender toward us.

    a.  He is gracious
Full of grace, flowing continually out of His abundantly gracious character (who He is), God gives His grace without expecting us to earn or deserve it.  He gives His grace because He is gracious.

     b.  He is compassionate.
His compassion goes far beyond just caring about us.  His compassion motivated Him to give Himself completely in the person of Christ.  Compassion is caring that is deep enough to motivate a profound expression of love.

     c.  He is slow to anger.
The Lord is patient with us… much moreso than we are with one another, and even with our own loved ones.  Although He is deeply grieved by our every hurt and loss (compassionate), He remains patient with mankind, desiring to give us continued opportunity to turn to Him for salvation.

    d.  He is rich in love.
The love of the Lord is vast and immeasureable.  If the earth is His footstool and everything belongs to Him as Creator, He is certainly rich… but it is the limitless stores of his wealth of love that He longs for us to know.

How far would His love go?
From Heaven… to earth… to the cross… to death… and even to hell,
all to gain the victory for us over sin, hell, and death.

His love took our most hideous weakness and ugliness and enveloped it in the strength and everlasting power of His pure holiness, removing the stinking graveclothes of our sin and clothing us with His own righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
 He has compassion on all He has made.

9.  His Kingdom is glorious and everlasting.
In order to have a Kingdom, one must be a King.  But His is not just any Kingdom, and He is not just any King.  He is the King of Kings, and His Kingdom is everlasting.  He can never be de-throned because He is the Lord of all, even of those who do not acknowledge Him.

10 All your works praise You, Lord;
  Your faithful people extol You.
11 They tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 so that all people may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.

10.  The Lord is trustworthy and faithful.
        He is good, so we can trust Him.  He is a keeper of promises.  He does not give up or quit.  He is faithful to keep His word, to remain unchanging, to finish all of the good works that He has begun, and to someday make everything right.

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises
and faithful in all He does.[ 13 c ] 

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and faithful in all He does.

11. The Lord is our Sustainer and the Giver of all good things.
Without the sustaining presence of the Lord in all of Creation, the needs of every living thing would not be met.

15 The eyes of all look to You,
and You give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

12.  The Lord is our helper and our Savior.
He helps us get up when we fall and even holds us as we are falling.  He lifts up those who are bowed beneath a heavy load and brings joy to hearts that have been humbled or broken.  He is near.  He is with us.  He hears us when we call on Him in truth.  He fulfills our desires.  He hears our cries.  He saves us.  He watches over us.  He will someday remove us from the very presence of evil.  He is our loving and caring Shepherd.

14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
  He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.

  Ps. 145 19 He will hear and saveThe Lord is close by, waiting for us to understand that we need Him and come into agreement with the truth about who He is and who we are. Then, when we see our need for Him and cry out, He knows that knowing Him, having His forgiveness, and living in fellowship with Him have become Him the desires of our heart. He hears our cry, and He saves us (when we have asked Him to come into our lives as Savior and Lord).

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David’s conclustion, in light of who God is,
is that he must commit himself to daily and eternal praise.

David begins the Psalm with this commitment and ends the Psalm with a restatement of his personal commitment to daily and eternal praise.

This is the final verse of Psalm 145:

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

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The notes on Bible Gateway about Psalm 145 tell us this interesting bit of information.  This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.” 

This fact tells me that David was also communicating the fact that the Lord is the Alpha and Omega, worthy of praise from the beginning of time and throughout eternity, meeting all of our needs and sharing His love with all of mankind, keeping His promises and fulfilling His Kingdom with both awesome power and gracious, loving tenderness.


May every day become a day of praise.

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This post was written by Cynthia Boyd, with the inspiration of Psalm 145.
The NIV Scripture text was copied from Bible Gateway

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+145

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Psalm 100: A Prescription for Praise!

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”

~   Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)

Make a joyful noiseI love Psalm 100!

These 5 short verses are a prescription for a life of thanksgiving and praise!

Within these verses, we find the “why” of praise.

Why do we praise God?

* 1 *  Because He is good  (verse 5)

* 2 *  Because His mercy is everlasting   (verse 5 ~ some translations use “steadfast love”)

* 3 *  Because His truth endures to all generations   (v. 5 ~ some versions say “faithfulness”)

* 4 *  Because we are His people   (v. 3)

* 5 *  Because He is like a Shepherd to us   (v. 3 ~ He cares for our needs since we are the sheep of His pasture.)

* 6 *  Because the pasture is His   (v. 3 ~ We dwell within His creation, another provision.)

* 7 *  Because He is God   (v.3)

* 8 *  Because He made us   (v. 3)

* 9 *  Because anything we have as far as abilities and gifts (anything good within us) came from Him  (v. 3 ~ We didn’t make ourselves.)

* 10 *  Because He allows us to come into His presence   (v. 4 ~ We can enter His gates, His courts.)

* 11 *  Because He wants to be in relationship and fellowship with us, He gives us the keys to His presence.   (v. 4 He tells us that thanksgiving and praise are the outer and inner gateways to communion with Him.)

* 12 *  Because He wants us to be glad and to be joyful, to have hearts that sing.   (v. 1 & 2 ~ He even wants to hear and share in our joy!)

Did you see those 12 reasons for praise in the 5 verses of Psalm 100 before?  I have read this Psalm hundreds of times in the 35 years since I became a Christian, but I don’t think I saw all of the reasons for praise until I started looking for them.

Isn’t it amazing that our God is so good that we can find 12 reasons for praising Him in only 5 short verses of scripture.  He is amazing!  THAT’S WHY WE PRAISE HIM!

The Lord is great, He is Sovereign, He is personal, He is a loving and caring Shepherd, He claims us as His own, He wants us to know Him, He is a God of truth, He is merciful (FULL of mercy), He is a giver, He is generous (desiring our joy!), He has our best interests at heart, and He is powerful.

He is God.

Knowing the 5 verses of Psalm 100 can be a lifelong reminder of the reasons to praise Him. There’s something else in these verses as well. We not only have the “why” of praise in Psalm 100. We also have the “how”.

So, how are we to praise the Lord?

Praise God as the Source of all blessings* with a joyful noise (v. 1)
* with glad hearts as we serve Him (v. 2)
* with singing (v. 2)
* with the reverent recognition of who He is (v. 3)
* with thanksgiving (v. 4)
* with blessing for His name (v. 4)
* with knowledge that praise is the password to His presence (v. 4)
* with the desire to go deeper in seeking and knowing Him (also v. 4, drawing near as we come into his courts)

Finally, we find that remembering the how and why of praise found in Psalm 100 can help us to live in fellowship with the Lord as we continually look for more reasons to give Him praise and seek to live our lives for His glory.  

There are many benefits to living a life of praise, because praise is good medicine!

Unlike prescriptions for medication, praise has no harmful side effects. The benefits of praise are spiritual, emotional, mental, and even physical.

Here are 10 of the benefits of praise:

Praise   Lets just praise the Lord* Praise focuses our attention on the eternal and causes us to let go of our earthly concerns for a while.

* Praise reminds us why we love and trust our great God. It reminds us who He is.

* Praise helps us to remember that God’s salvation goes beyond meeting our greatest need (for Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior) to meeting our everyday needs through all of the ways that God shepherds and cares for us and helps us to grow in grace.

* When we praise the Lord specifically for all that He is and all that He has done, we are confronted with God’s sovereignty, Jesus’ glory as the only begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit’s comfort and guidance.

* Praise brings peace to our hearts because it reminds us that He is our peace.

* Praise makes us glad as we remember that He is the joy of every longing heart.

* Praise gives us eternal perspective and helps us hold on to faith in God, even when things don’t seem to make sense.

* Praise allows God to meet us where we are and minister to us at the point of our deepest need.

* Praise takes our eyes off of ourselves and focuses them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

* Praise allows us to give something of eternal value to the Giver of all things. We can give something of eternal value only because God invested Himself in us when He chose to die for us. He can redeem us through the power of His great love and make us into eternal beings who will see His glory and become worthy of His presence through the shedding of His own blood. He gives value to our weakest effort. His strength is perfected in our human weakness. As we praise Him, we recognize and affirm His infinite worth and supreme glory as the God of all creation. He, in turn, lifts us up with the knowledge that He cares for us and values our lives, our souls, and even our human efforts to live in such a way that our lives bring Him glory.

With results like that, this prescription for praise should be administered daily!

See the information below about our most often read blog post, 31 Days of Praise, to give you a full month of praise scripture devotions.

Below, you will find a memorization helper photo for Psalm 100.  Print it in whatever size works for you, and use it as a memory aide to help you learn the 5 incredible verses of Psalm 100.

Use this scripture memory photo for the 5 verses of Psalm 100 to read it aloud each day and memorize this passage by Day 17.

Use this scripture memory photo for the 5 verses of Psalm 100 to read it aloud each day and memorize this passage

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31  DAYS OF PRAISE  

This blog post originally was (and still is) the praise devotion for day 17 in our “31 Days of Praise” blog post (see link below).

Most of the devotions consist of a praise verse, a truth about praise drawn from that verse, and a short, devotional paragraph with thoughts about praise inspired by that verse.  However, this particular devotion is longer…quite a bit longer.  It is the only long-ish devotion in “31 Days of Praise” because there’s just so much in Psalm 100.  The more I looked, the more I found, and the more there was to share about this passage of scripture and our great God.  With this much to share, I decided after I published the 31 devotions that this particular devotion needed to become a separate post as well.  Psalm 100 is even more special to me now that the Lord has revealed so much about it and about Himself through it.  We hope that this post will be a blessing.  Don’t forget to check out “31 Days of Praise” for 30 short devotions about praise + one that is a little long-ish.

Here’s the link to   31 Days of Praise

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This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd.
This post can be reprinted in an unpaid church publication as long as the author’s name and blog URL are included.  It does need to be printed in its entirety.  We stand by each post on our blog, so we require that no edits be made.  Even the tiniest edit might alter the meaning or original intent of a post.  For a paid publication, obtaining permission is required.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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31 Days of Praise (Scripture Devotions)

In this blog post, you will find 31 short devotions, one for every day of any month.  Each one is based upon a scripture about praise and a truth about praise drawn from that scripture, with some thoughts about praise for each day.

We hope that this post will be a blessing to you in your times of private worship as well as in your daily life.

FOREWORD to the daily devotions:  Thoughts about praise

Praise in General 

praise  good job  excellentPraise is an expression of something good.  When we praise another person, we tell them something good that we have observed about them or something good that we have experienced as a result of our relationship to them.  Sometimes people we’ve never personally met inspire us with stories of strength and courage; and we could choose to respond to that with praise, sharing our good thoughts in some way (telling others, writing a letter to the person, etc.)  Sometimes, our praise takes the form of saying something good about someone to others, even though the person we are praising is not present to hear our words.  I can praise my husband or children even when they are not around by sharing something good about them verbally or in writing.

Praise has an object.  There is something or someone that we are praising.

Praise also has an audience.  We either speak or write our praise directly to the person or group or family or organization we are praising, or we speak or write to others about them.

When we praise someone directly, that person is the object of our praise and also is the audience (if no one else is present) or a part of the audience (if others also hear our praise for them).  Praise for others is at its best when the motivation for it comes out of the overflow of our love and/or respect, resulting from the impact a person has made upon our lives.  Sometimes people have other motives, and praise can be meaningless or empty or even a part of a personal betrayal or an attempt to influence the actions of another person.  However, even though, as with every other human behavior, there is the potential for harm when praise is done for the wrong reasons, praise is still generally a beneficial expression that can be very meaningful and can even change someone’s life.

Praising God

Praise God   colorful lettersWhen we praise God, He is both the object and the audience (or part of the audience) for our praises.  He hears our praise, even though we don’t see Him visually.  We are speaking or singing directly to God as well as about Him.  Because of this fact, words of praise to God are some of the most important words that will ever come out of our mouths.  Praise is not something to ever take lightly.  When our praise for God is genuine, we are expressing the overflow of our hearts and sharing good things about our God.  We are telling or writing or in some other way (music, dance, art) expressing a clear message about who God is and/or what He has done.  Our praise can be part of a testimony of what God has done and is doing in our lives.  Praise can be one brief statement, or it can be a more lengthy expression.  We are sharing with others the news that God is good and at the same time telling Him that we know He is good We do need to be careful about expressing praise only when something happens that we are happy about.  God is good all the time.  He is worthy of our praise. 

All of us have to be intentional about praise.  We have to choose to become people who make a commitment to express praise to God and to others about God.  We have to choose to be both vulnerable and strong in expressing praise to God within the congregation.  We lay aside any concerns about what other people are thinking or doing, and we simply focus on praising God with all of our hearts.  Praise opens our hearts to God as we focus on Him alone.  He inhabits (dwells within or manifests His presence within) the praise of His people.  It’s so amazing that God chooses to meet us and transform us with His presence when we make the choice to praise Him!

Praise is also necessary for the heart of every Christian even when we are feeling down, disappointed, or crushed by grief.  In the midst of our deepest valleys, we still recognize that God’s goodness and faithfulness are praiseworthy.  Because our praise opens the courts of the Lord, He will meet us there.  When we are willing to give to God the sacrifice of praise, knowing that He is good and merciful even in the midst of our trials or suffering, we give Him an opportunity to minister peace and comfort to our hurting hearts.  No matter what is happening in our lives, our God is worthy of praise.

Have a beautiful month as you praise Him each day!

Memory Challenge: 

As part of this month of praise, I hope that you will commit to memorize 2 short Psalms.

*  If you read through and speak out loud the 5 verses of Psalm 100 each day as part of your devotion time, you should have it memorized very well by day 17.

*  On day 18, begin to do the same thing with the 6 (shorter) verses of Psalm 150.

You’ll be surprised how many of the verses you already know.  You will always be glad that you memorized these 2 Psalms of praise, and they will be a blessing to you throughout your life.

Memorization helps:  In order to make the memorization easier for you, we have included printable versions of Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 in this post.

*  Just right click on the photo to choose the print option and then the size that will work best for you.

*  Place your memory photo page in a place where you will see it and work on learning it each day, or place it with your Bible for your devotional time.

*  Below, you will find the Psalm 100 printable.

*  The one for Psalm 150 is located between the devotions for Day 17 and Day 18.

*  You could also choose to simply stop at the photo verse each time to work on memorizing the verse (either before or after scrolling down to read the day’s praise devotional).

May God bless you as you praise Him and memorize His word.

Use this scripture memory photo for the 5 verses of Psalm 100 to read it aloud each day and memorize this passage by Day 17.

Use this scripture memory photo for the 5 verses of Psalm 100, to read it aloud each day and memorize this passage by Day 17.  You can also print it to use as a memory helper.  (Photograph of beach by Carol Roberts)

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAISE

1*  Day One  *

Praise truth #1:  Praise takes determination and commitment.

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”   — Psalm 7:17

Notice that the Psalmist makes a statement of his intention and his commitment to thank and praise the Lord.  He says “will give thanks” and “will sing praise.”  He also shares the reason for his thanksgiving, the Lord’s righteousness.  Our God loves goodness and justice, righteousness and truth.  We can trust that He will ultimately make everything right.  (Romans 8:28)  Praise Him today for His righteousness, and determine that you will make every day be a day of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

Memory Challenge:  Remember your memory challenge with the reading of Psalm 100 (just above this devotional).

2*  Day Two  *

Praise truth #2:  Praise is job #1 for the Saints!

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”   — Psalm 30:4

As those who have believed in Jesus and experienced salvation, His saints, it is our duty as well as our joy and privelege to sing praises to the Lord and give thanks to Him.  Praise God today for His salvation and for giving you so many reasons to be thankful.  Bless His name today.  Speak aloud of the goodness of our God.  Sing praises to His holy name.

Memory Challenge:  Don’t forget to speak the verses of Psalm 100 aloud each day!

3*  Day Three  *

Praise truth #3:  There is no doubt that God wants us to sing His praises and delights in the praises of His people.

“Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a Psalm.”   — Psalm 47:6 & 7

How many times are we told to sing praises to the Lord in these two verses?  Five times!   He is the King of all the earth!  Sometimes we praise people more than we praise God.  Would we be more excited to meet an earthly King than to be in the presence of the King of all the earth?  Would we spend more time getting ready to appear before someone who is an earthly leader for a few years than we do in praising the King of all eternity?  When we begin to truly understand who God is and the incredible truth that He loves us and knows us and wants us to know Him, how can we keep from singing His praise?  Praise God today for His sovereignty over all of Creation.  Praise him specifically for all that He is and all He has done.

Memory Challenge:  How many verses of Psalm 100 can you say without looking?

4*  Day Four  *

Praise truth #4:  Praise is far-reaching.

“We have thought of Thy steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Thy temple. As Thy name, O God, so Thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth.”   — Psalm 48:9 & 10

When we spend some time thinking of the steadfast love of God, right in the middle of our lives of busy-ness and inconstancy, our natural response to His faithfulness and unchanging love is praise!  Praise reaches to the ends of the earth.  It reaches the heart of God.  It reaches inside our own hearts and changes our perspective.  As important and as supreme as the name of God is, praise reaches just as far!  Praise accompanies God’s name.  We will never run out of reasons to praise Him, and He will never tire of hearing our praises, dwelling within them, and using the praises of His people to speak to the hearts of men. Praise God today for His steadfast love, and spend some time remembering His faithfulness in your life.

Memory Challenge:  Praise him with the Psaltery as you speak Psalm 100 aloud.

5*  Day Five  *

Praise truth #5:  Praise is expressed verbally.

“O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.”   — Psalm 51:15

The Psalmist prays to God and asks that his mouth be made a vessel of praise.  He surrenders himself and his lips to the Lord and asks that God will allow them to be open for the purpose of praise.  What do I need to surrender in order that I may show forth His praise?  Clearly, I need to be willing to praise God verbally and openly.  I need to be committed to bringing God glory through my life.  I need to be passionate about sharing His praise verbally and through singing, and I need to be asking God to help me praise Him all the more. Pray the prayer of abundant praise today, asking God to take control of your heart and mind and lips and cause you to praise Him all day long.

Memory Challenge:  Psalm 100 time!

6*  Day Six  *

Praise truth #6:  Praise can be joyful and glorious.

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise!”   — Psalm 66:1

What constitutes a joyful noise to God?  Singing of His glory!  When we sing of the majesty and splendor and glory of God and praise Him with our whole heart, we are bringing Joy to the very heart of God.  Knowing that we can give something in return to the One who has given us everything we have ever had and ever will have is a joy for us as well.

Make a joyful noiseJoy in Heaven and Joy on earth,

Songs of His glory and His infinite worth.

This is the way we should spend all our days,

Making joyful noise in glorious praise.

–  Cynthia A. Boyd

Memory Challenge:  The words of Psalm 100 make a joyful noise, too!  Speak them as to the Lord.

7*  Day Seven  *

Praise truth #7:  Praising God is for all nations and all peoples.

“Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for Thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee!”   — Psalm 67:3 – 5

Although God has chosen the people of Israel to be the ones that would proclaim His salvation through their history and through the coming of Jesus, He is at work within all peoples and nations.  He deals fairly and judges equitably.  He guides the nations in ways that we can’t fully understand.  This verse is a call to praise for people from all nations, tribes, and tongues.  We have reason to be glad and to sing for joy.  Our God is the righteous judge who loves the world and sent His Son to serve the sentence of death for all of mankind.  (John 3:16-17)  Praise God today for His work among the nations and for the fact that there are people in every country in the world who know Him, as well as those who will come to know Him.

Memory Challenge:  Can you say all 5 verses of Psalm 100 from memory yet?  Speak them out loud.  Saying them at the same time you are hearing yourself say them helps you to memorize them.

8*  Day Eight  *

Praise truth #8:  It is important that we set aside the concerns of the day when we choose to joyfully praise the Lord.

“Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; His name is the Lord, exult before Him.”    — Psalm 68:3 & 4

Remember who God is.  He is the Lord who rides upon the clouds.  We have read that we must enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  If we desire to commune with God, we must begin with thanksgiving and praise.  We must set aside the burdens and worries of the day as we give thanks and joyfully sing praise to Him.  Yes, He cares about every part of your life and about your heart and every concern that you have.  Since the Bible makes it clear that He cares for us and about us, we can lay our burdens down.  Think of your time with God as though you are visiting a friend (What a friend!).  You would not rush into your friend’s home and immediately begin listing all of your troubles and your requests for help.  Instead, you would greet your friend joyfully and let them know you are glad to be in their presence.  Later in your conversation, there will be time for deeper sharing.  When you choose to express thanksgiving and joyful praise first, you demonstrate that you trust the heart of God and know that He is already aware of everything in your life.  You are deliberately coming into God’s presence as someone who loves and cares for Him and is mindful of His infinite love and care for you.

[Be sure to notice all of the “joy words” in these 2 verses for day 8:  joyful, exult (definition:  show or feel elation or jubilation), be jubilant with joy, exult (again).  Place a joy reminder in a place where you will see it each day.]

NOTE:  Sometimes an immediate crisis in our lives allows for only a one word plea for “Help!” or a short phrase or sentence spoken as a prayer,  God hears all of our prayers and knows the cries of our hearts.  He knows each situation.  He desires that His children seek Him with all of our needs, and He places His love for us above any formula for prayer.  Just as a small child would do when afraid, sometimes all we need to do is run to the Lord (in prayer) and call out His name (just as the frightened child would call out, “Daddy!”).  The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers, giving voice to the deepest “groanings” of our soul that are so profound we cannot even put them into words.  (Romans 8:26)  We also read that Jesus is right beside the throne of God, interceding (making requests on our behalf, praying for us).  (Hebrews 7:25)  So, when we are too exhausted with grief or pain to seek God with clarity, He knows, He helps, and He prays for us.

However, any time that it is possible for you to seek God in prayer and come to Him first with thanksgiving and praise, do so.  When you thank Him (knowing that He is good and that He cares for you) and praise Him (knowing that He is the Source and Sustainer of everything good and the Redeemer of your soul), your heart becomes open to His presence and aware of our loving Father God who is always there.  God can then manifest His love for you, His comfort, and His presence (His very “being there” for and with you) in heart to heart communication that is pure peace.

Memory Challenge:  Share Psalm 100 with your family today.

9*  Day Nine  *

Praise truth #9:  The heart attitude is most important in praising God.

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”   — Psalm 69:30

Singing a song of praise doen’t necessarily  mean that you are praising God as you sing.  The attitude of your heart determines whether the words you are singing match your audible expression of a praise song.  If the intention and commitment of your heart is to give God praise and thank Him wholeheartedly, then you are truly praising God when you sing.  Here, the Psalmist states his intention to praise the Lord and magnify His name through thanksgiving.  To magnify means to make something appear bigger.  God’s name is already supreme, so  how does our thanksgiving make His name appear larger?  In our own hearts, thanksgiving reveals God’s true nature and His goodness.  His name is always big, but we are more aware of who He is when we are thanking and praising Him.  Our sincere praise and thanksgiving can also impact the hearts of others and allow them to have a bigger picture of who God is as well.  So, intentionally express your praise to God with words and with song, and cause His name to be revealed as BIG with your thanksgiving.

Memory Challenge:  Repeat the words of Psalm 100 as you do something good today.  Whether you are are exercising or wrapping a gift for a friend, do a pleasant task with praise.

10*  Day Ten  *

Praise truth # 10:  Praise is our heartfelt and intentional response to the revelation of who God is.

“I will praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God. Unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which Thou has redeemed.”   — Psalm 71:22 & 23

The Psalmist reveals his thoughts about who God is as he declares his intention to praise God in response.  He mentions God’s truth, God’s commitment to personal relationship with us (“O, my God”), God’s holiness, God’s commitment to the nation of Israel (as keeper of promises and covenant, redeemer, refuge, sustainer); and, most importantly, he mentions God’s salvation (“my soul, which thou has redeemed”).  In response to the revelation of who God is in character and who God is to him personally, the Psalmist declares his intention to respond by using the Psalms (psaltery) to praise God verbally.  He also states that he will sing praise with the harp and that he will do so while greatly rejoicing.  The Psalmist realized that he had been greatly blessed and given grace, mercy, and salvation by a personal, holy, true God who is a keeper of promises and who has become his Redeemer.  His response is declaring God’s praise with his whole heart.

Memory Challenge:  Declare the praise of the Lord with Psalm 100!  You are doing exactly what the Psalmist did.

11*  Day Eleven  *

Praise truth # 11:  Praise comes with blessings!

“Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise!  Selah.”   — Psalm 84:4

Notice that the Psalmist speaks of dwelling in God’s house and singing God’s praise continually.  For us today, I believe that this would refer to those who seek to stay in fellowship with God and who guard their thoughts and try to focus on thanksgiving and praise.  Blessings are many for us when we choose to allow God to work in our lives as we surrender our fears along with our hopes and our failures along with our strengths.   Singing God’s praise reveals the truth of His goodness and our need for Him.  When we allow Him to become our sufficiency, we do not lack any good thing.  We are living under the sheltering roof of God’s provision for our emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical needs.  As we continue to praise Him, our eyes are opened to more and more of what He has done and is doing in our lives.  The Amplified Bible translates the word ‘selah’ as “pause…and think of that”.   So, abide in His presence, rest in His provision, praise His faithfulness, and see that the Lord is good.  Now, pause and think of that.

Memory Challenge:  Psalm 100!

12* Day Twelve * 

Praise truth #12:  When we praise God wholeheartedly, we bring glory to His name.

“I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify Thy name forevermore.”   — Psalm 86:12

Once again, the Psalmist declares his intention to praise the Lord.  He addresses God personally (O Lord my God) and commits himself to hold back nothing and praise God with his whole heart.  The promise of forever is as real as the present moment to him as the Psalmist makes his own promise to God.  He promises to glorify God’s name forevermore.  His life has become a testament to God’s glory as he pours himself fully into an offering of praise.  This well of praise will not run dry thoughout all eternity because the Psalmist knows that he could never out-give God.  There will always be a reason to thank and praise God, because God will continue to give and bless and love as only He can.  It will be so exciting that we will know the blessings and love of God fully, with complete understanding.  We will no longer need to walk by faith and trust God even in what seems to be a time of darkness.  Faith and trust will be replaced by complete knowledge when we know Him even as we are known.  Glory to God forever!

Memory Challenge:  Praise Him with Psalm 100.

13* Day Thirteen *

Praise truth #13:   When we praise God for His faithfulness and His wonders, we are joining the heavens in congregational praise.

“The heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord; Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.”   — Psalm 89:5

As we meet together for the purpose of worship, we enter into a praise party that is already happening.  The heavens are already praising God.  In ways that we can’t fully fathom, His wonders and His faithfulness are being praised in our midst by the hosts of Heaven and even by His creation.  What a tragedy it is when we fail to join this chorus of praise.  Like the Psalmist, we must choose to joyfully commit ourselves to praise, knowing that God is so good that the Heavenly realms are spilling their praise all over, even as we are meeting together.  Praise the Lord, Saints!

Memory Challenge:  Psalm 100!

14* Day Fourteen * 

Praise truth # 14:  Praise is a good thing… all day long!

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.”   — Psalm 92:1 & 2

Oh, yes!  We trust God to get us through the day with His strength and His lovingkindness as we thank and praise Him in the morning and throughout the day.

Then, we thank and praise Him every night because He was faithful to do just that (get us through the day)!  Once again, His lovingkindness guided and comforted us all day long.  What better equation could describe our day?

_      God’s  lovingkindness______     —-    the foundation for praise!

undergirded by His faithfulness

Memory Challenge:  You ought to really know Psalm 100 by now!  As you have continued to speak these words in praise to God, you are taking the time to commit them to your life-long memory.  You’ve learned these 5 verses to the extent that they have become part of you.  Praise the Lord!

15* Day Fifteen *

Praise truth #15:  Because God is great, He should be praised greatly.

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.”   — Psalm 96:1 – 4a

God is great.  He is greater than we can imagine.  He is worthy of our songs.  He is so great that His name should be blessed.  He is so great that His glory should be declared to those who do not know Him.  He is so great that those who have experienced His salvation should live in such a way that their lives “show forth” from day to day.  (Some days may be easier than others, but the clear implication is a daily testimony of a transformed life!)

God…is…GREAT.  And, in every way that we can, His people should declare His greatness:  verbally, through songs, through our lives, and through praising Him for who He is and for all that He has done.  Praise the Lord greatly today!

Memory Challenge:  You are declaring His greatness by hiding His word in your heart.  You have treasured it enough to learn it.  Speak Psalm 100.

16* Day Sixteen *

Praise truth # 16:  Praise for the Lord is celebrated joyfully with music.

(Note:  He also sings joyfully over us.  See Zephaniah 3:17)

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with a harp, with a harp and the voice of a psalm.”   — Psalm 98:4 & 5

How important is it that we should use music in praising the Lord?  Notice that these 2 verses mention musical praise in several different ways:  a joyful noise, a loud noise, rejoicing, singing praise, singing with a harp, and singing with the voice of a Psalm.  God made us, and He knows that there is something about music that speaks to our hearts like nothing else.   He also knows that music can express deep emotion and help us to remember and to celebrate.  Music can unite our hearts in an expression of team loyalty or holiday wishes or patriotism.  Music can have special meaning within relationships of friends or loved ones.  The combination of poetry and melody can be very powerful as a means of expression.  The highest use of this powerful expressive tool that we call music is to use it in praise to the Lord (genuine, heart-felt praise).  The style of music you prefer does not matter to God.  It’s your heart and the expression of your true praise that He values.  So, make a joyful noise in praise to the Lord.  It’s music to His ears.

Memory Challenge:  Really look at Psalm 100.  What do you see?  Tomorrow, you may see more in these verses than ever before.

17* Day Seventeen * 

Praise truth # 17:  Praise opens the “courts” of intimacy in our relationship with God.

“Make a joyful moise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”   — Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)

I love Psalm 100!  These 5 short verses are a prescription for a life of thanksgiving and praise!  Here we have the “why” of praise.  Why do we praise God?  Because He is good…   Because His mercy is everlasting…   Because His truth endures to all generations…   Because we are His people…   Because He is like a Shepherd to us…   Because the pasture is His (we dwell within His creation)…   Because He is God…   Because He made us…   Because anything we have as far as abilities and gifts came from Him (we didn’t make ourselves)…   Because He allows us to come into His presence…   Because He wants to be in relationship and fellowship with us, so He tells us that thanksgiving and praise are the outer and inner gateways to communion with Him…   Because He wants us to be glad and to be joyful.

Did you see those 12 reasons for praise in the 5 verses of Psalm 100 before?  I have read this Psalm hundreds of times in the 35 years since I became a Christian, but I don’t think I saw all of the reasons for praise until I started looking for them.  Do you see them now?  THAT’S WHY WE PRAISE HIM!   He is great, He is Sovereign, He is personal, He is a loving and caring Shepherd, He claims us as His own, He wants us to know Him, He is a God of truth, He is merciful (FULL of mercy), He is a giver, He is generous (desiring our joy!), He has our best interests at heart, and He is powerful.  He is God

Knowing the 5 verses of Psalm 100 can be a lifelong reminder of the reasons to praise Him.  There’s something else in these verses as well.  We not only have the “why” of praise in Psalm 100.  We also have the “how”.  So, how are we to praise the Lord?

Praise God as the Source of all blessingsWith a joyful noise,

*  with glad hearts as we serve Him,

*  with singing,

*  with the reverent recognition of who He is

*  with thanksgiving,

*  with blessing for His name

*  with knowledge that praise is the password to His presence

*  with the desire to go deeper in seeking and knowing Him

Good medicine!

One other thing to consider about the prescription for praise found in Psalm 100 is the benefits of praise.  Unlike prescriptions for medication, praise has no harmful side effects.  The benefits of praise are spiritual, emotional, mental, and even physical.  Here are 10 of the benefits of praise.

*  Praise focuses our attention on the eternal and causes us to let go of our earthly concerns for a while.

Praise reminds us why we love and trust our great God.  It reminds us who He is.

*  Praise helps us to remember that God’s salvation goes beyond meeting our greatest need (for Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior) to meeting our everyday needs through all of the ways that God shepherds and cares for us and helps us to grow in grace.

*  When we praise the Lord specifically for all that He is and all that He has done, we are confronted  with God’s sovereignty, Jesus’ glory as the only begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit’s comfort and guidance.

*  Praise brings peace to our hearts because it reminds us that He is our peace.

*  Praise makes us glad as we remember that He is the joy of every longing heart.

*  Praise gives us eternal perspective and helps us hold on to faith in God, even when things don’t seem to make sense.

Praise allows God to meet us where we are and minister to us at the point of our deepest need.  

*  Praise takes our eyes off of ourselves and focuses them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Praise allows us to give something of eternal value to the Giver of all things.  We can give something of eternal value only because God invested Himself in us when He chose to die for us.  He can redeem us through the power of His great love and make us into eternal beings who will see His glory and become worthy of His presence through the shedding of His own blood.  He gives value to our weakest effort.  His strength is perfected in our human weakness.  As we praise Him, we recognize and affirm His infinite worth and supreme glory as the God of all creation.  He, in turn, lifts us up with the knowledge that He cares for us and values our lives, our souls, and even our human efforts to live in such a way that our lives bring Him glory.

With results like that, this prescription for praise should be administered daily!

Memory Challenge:  If you have memorized Psalm 100, continue to say it out loud every day during your private time of worship and praise.  Then, begin learning the 6 short verses of Psalm 150.  Here is a memory verse photo for Psalm 150 to help you learn the passage.  This can be printed or used as a reference when you are learning the verses before or after each day of praise devotion.

NOW,  IT’S  TIME  TO  BEGIN  MEMORIZING  PSALM 150.   HERE  IS  YOUR  MEMORY  HELPER  PHOTO.

Use this Psalm 150 memory photo to help you the 6 verses of Psalm 150 by saying it aloud each day, days 18 through 31. The photo can also be printed in the size that works best for you.  (Photograph of an Oklahoma sunset by Belinda Graham)

Use this Psalm 150 memory photo to help you memorize the 6 verses of Psalm 150 by saying it aloud each day, days 18 through 31. The photo can also be printed in the size that works best for you. (Photograph of an Oklahoma sunset by Belinda Graham)

18* Day Eighteen *

Praise truth # 18:  God was thinking of us long before our generation, longing for us to know His compassion and mercy for us so that we might be set free and be given new hearts of praise.

“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn* may praise the Lord:
That He looked down from His Holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, To hear the groans of the prisoners, To set free those who were doomed to die: That men may declare in Zion the name of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, His praise; when peoples and kingdoms gather together to worship the Lord.“   — Psalm 102:18 – 22

* (or, “yet to be created” in some translations;  in other words, these truths were recorded for us!)

It is important for every generation to take responsibility for sharing the truth of God’s love and mercy with future generations.  Knowing what God has done and that he is a God who looks upon us with compassion and mercy allows future generations to choose to accept God’s mercy and His invitation to be free from the condemnation and the prison of sin.  People need to know that God has the power and mercy and love and grace needed to transform our lives from the inside out.  He will create within us hearts that long to praise and worship Him… because His goodness to us is so great and His life within us is a beautiful promise of the eternal life to come.  People need to know.

Memory Challenge:  Praise God today with the words of Psalm 150.

19* Day Nineteen *

Praise truth # 19:  It is impossible to reach the limit for praise.  There is no limit.

“Praise ye the Lord; O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all His praise?”   — Psalm 106:1 & 2

Who, indeed, can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?  He is constantly acting on our behalf in ways that we don’t even know.  There is no way for us to speak praises for all that God has done because He is constantly doing more.  There is no end to His goodness and mercy, and there is no end to praise.  Though our praises may be incomplete, they are sweet gifts to our Lord.  So, praise ye the Lord!  Keep giving him thanks and showing forth His praise.  He’ll be showing us His love and mercy for all of eternity, and we will respond with praise.  Why wait?  Praise Him right now!

Memory Challenge:  Today, read Psalm 150 aloud twice as you praise the Lord.

20* Day Twenty *

Praise truth # 20:  We fail to praise God as often as we should and as publically as we should.

“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.”   — Psalm 107:31 & 32

These verses are a lament and a plea for praise.  Here’s a paraphrase:  “Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His care (wonderful works!) in our lives!”  How would our perspective change?  How would the hearts of others be affected?  How would God use our praises to draw others to Himself.  Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”  (John 12:32)  How much would our praises free the Lord to act in our lives and in the lives of others?  Let’s find out, people!  Let’s exalt (hold in high regard, elevate, raise, glorify, praise, honor) Him in the congregation!  Let’s praise Him anytime that we assemble to worship, to fellowship, or to serve Him in any way.

Memory Challenge:  Have some fun with praise!  As you speak the words of Psalm 150, beat a rhythm on a makeshift cymbal.  A pot lid and wooden spoon will do just fine.  Hold the pot lid by it’s handle and have some sounding cymbals to accompany the words of the Psalm.  If you have children, get them involved, too.  Give them each a line to say and something to make noise with as they speak their line (to the rhythm of the words, though…not with such wild abandon that they can’t even hear the words).  Everytime you do this, you add to your memory (and theirs).

21* Day Twenty One * 

Praise truth #21:  Living an intentional life of praise takes a steadfast heart.

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!  Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn!  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations.  For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens,  Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!  Let Your glory be over all the earth.”   — Psalm 108:1 – 5

Notice that the word “steadfast is used three times in these 5 verses.  The first two times, the Psalmist is referring to his own heart commitment to God.  The second time, the Psalmist refers to the steadfast love of God himself.  Notice also that even though the Psalmist has stated his clear intentions to live a life characterized by steadfastness and praise, the actions that follow his commitment are not always easy.  He tells his soul to wake up!  He wants to awaken his instruments of praise.  Then, the Psalmist reminds himself why it is so important to continue singing praises among the peoples and among the nations:  He is secure in the steadfast love of God.  His own resolve may waver, but he knows that God’s love for him is unwavering.  When he remembers God’s love and faithfulness, the Psalmist is ready to exalt and praise the Lord.  He is ready to see God’s glory spread over all the earth.  He wants other people to be secure in the love of God, too.  Praise God today for his steadfast love and far reaching faithfulness, which are greater than all of the incredible expanse of space and time and heavenly realms of which we are now aware and greater still than that which we will only know in eternity.

Memory Challenge:  Speak the words of Psalm 150 without looking, and see how much you have already learned.  Read the part that you haven’t learned yet at least twice.  Praise the Lord!

22* Day Twenty Two *

Praise truth # 22:  Thanks and praise always seem to go hand in hand.

“With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng.”   — Psalm 109:30

Praise  Stand every morning to thank and praiseThe Psalmists repeatedly talk about thankfulness and praise together.  Usually, thankfulness is mentioned first.  When we begin to count our blessings and say thank you to the Giver of them all, the next step is naturally going to be praise to God as the Source of all blessings.  Because God is good and because, as Jesus said, God loves to give good gifts (Matthew 7:11), we have much to be thankful for and plenty of reasons to praise God (in the midst of the throng and anywhere else we may happen to be).  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise today, as you worship the Giver and Source of all blessings.

Memory Challenge:  Praise God with the words of both Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 today.

23* Day Twenty Three *

Praise truth # 23:  As we grow in our Christian life, we begin to discover that we no longer think of praise in terms of an obligation.  It is pure privelege.

“Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.”   — Psalm 111:1

The Psalmist knows that praising God is not just something that we do.  Praise flows out of who we are becoming.  Notice that the congregation is referred to as “the company of the upright”.  Because God is at work in the hearts and lives of His people, transforming us from the inside out into a reflection of God’s own righteousness and making us more like Jesus, the Psalmist expresses his praise as an outflow of what is in his own heart.  The Psalmist’s gratitude for God’s salvation and his knowledge that God is good and that He is at work for our good produces a whole-hearted response of praise.  What does that mean for today?  Because we have been deeply and infinitely loved by God, because He has provided a way of salvation, and because our hearts are becoming more and more aware of God’s mercy and His transforming power, we have the privelege of expressing our love and gratitude to Him through praise.  Praise the Lord!

Memory Challenge:  Praise God with the words of Psalm 100 and Psalm 150, and then praise Him for everything else that comes to mind.

24* Day Twenty Four *

Praise truth # 24:  Genuine praise flows from a heart that knows and fears the Lord and takes delight in knowing and obeying God’s word.

“Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments!”   — Psalm 112:1

Do you remember the hymn, “Trust and Obey”?  Here are some lyrics (by James H. Sammis) from that great testimony of faith:

“When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word,

What a glory He sheds on our way.

While we do His good will, He abides with us still;

And with all who will trust and obey.

(Refrain)

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus…

but to trust and obey.”

We do not have to be perfect in order to genuinely praise the Lord, but we need to be in the process of becoming more like Christ through walking in fellowship with the Lord.  Blessing comes from walking with Him, and then thanksgiving and praise naturally follow.

Memory Challenge:  Praise the Lord with the words of Psalm 100.  What gives us the confidence to trust Him and obey?  “For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”

Praise the Lord with the words of Psalm 150.  What reflects His glory?  His mighty deeds, His excellent greatness.

* Day Twenty Five *

25Praise truth # 25:  Intentional and heartfelt praise should characterize our daily lives from sunrise to sunset.

“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.”   — Psalm 113:1 – 4

The servants of the Lord should live in an attitude of worship (intentionally giving glory to God in all of life) that creates a constant awareness of all that God has done and who He is.  In these 4 verses, the Psalmist mentions several characteristics of God.  His name is blessed, he is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.  God is held in supreme regard because He is supreme over all.  Because of who He is (His character, His person) and because of who He is to us (Father, Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Shepherd,…), we praise Him at the beginning of each day and all the way through until the end.

Memory Challenge:  Try to say the words of Psalm 150 without looking.  If the Psalm is not yet memorized, take some time to work on that, visualizing the instruments and forms of praise that are mentioned (as an aid to memory).  If you can already quote Psalm 150, praise God with the words of Psalm 100 as well.

26* Day Twenty Six *

Praise truth # 26:  The best time to praise the Lord is:  every moment that you can!

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.”   – Psalm 146:1 & 2

Again we see that the Psalmist speaks of praise in terms of the depth of his being (O my soul).  His praise is whole-hearted and soul deep.  The Psalmist intentionally expresses his praise to the Lord every day, and he is determined to continue to do so for the rest of his life.  He commits himself to praise.  He sings the praises of the Lord with the very breath that God has given.  He has decided to live a life of praise as long as God allows him to live on the earth, and he makes no mention of circumstance.  He does not say that he will praise the Lord only on the good days or when things go his way.  He does not say that he will praise God while he is feeling good.  He says that he will choose to praise God as long as he is alive.  Sometimes, we don’t feel well; and sometimes life is tough.  Still, we can choose, as the Psalmist did, to be alive in Christ and alive in praise….as long as we have being.

Memory Challenge:  Look once again at both Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 in print.  Notice all of the truths about God and his deeds that are praiseworthy.  Praise Him for all of these things.

27Praise   Lets just praise the Lord* Day Twenty Seven *

Praise truth # 27:  A song of praise is pleasing to God.

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for He is gracious, and a song of praise is comely.”   — Psalm 147:1

The Psalmist uses the word “comely” in describing a song of praise.  The definitions that I found for this word were:  pleasing, attractive, appropriate, and suitable.  Certainly it is appropriate and suitable to praise our God.  He is worthy of praise.  But singing praise goes beyond appropriate.  I believe that it is pleasing to God.  The phrase “sing praise” is found 129 times in the Bible, and “sing praises” is found 104 times.  I will say it again.  I believe that it is pleasing to God when we sing praises to Him.  Singing praises would be good (pleasing), as this scripture says, for that reason alone.  However, there are other benefits as well.  Singing praises to God can encourage and strengthen us.  Singing praises to God causes us to focus on Him rather than on problems.  Singing praises to God brings us into His presence.  Singing praises unites the hearts of a congregation in one common focus (the Lord) and intention (bringing Him glory).  So, why should we sing praises to our God?   Because He is gracious, as the verse says; because it is pleasing to God, and because singing praises strengthens, encourages, and unites us as a congregation. with Christ in our midst as we gather in His name.  It is good to sing praises to our God!

Note:  “The adjective “gracious” is applied in the Old Testament to Yahweh, as indicative of His favor and mercy, His long-suffering and ageneral inclination of favor, compassion, and kindness.”  (Bible dictionary definition by Walter G. Clippinger at this link:  http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Gracious )

Memory Challenge:  Try something new with the verses of Psalm 100 and Psalm 150.  Reading from the text, alternate saying one verse of each Psalm in the manner shown below.  You may want to have a family member or friend read the verses of one Psalm while you read the other, alternating like this:

(Psalm 150, verse one)  – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him in His mighty firmament!”

(Psalm 100, verse one)  – “Make a joyful moise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

(Psalm 150, verse two)  – “Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”

(Psalm 100, verse two)  – “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.”

(Psalm 150 verse three)  – “Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!”

(Psalm 100, verse three)  – “Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

(Psalm 150, verse four)  –  “Praise Him with timbrel and dance;  Praise Him with strings and pipe!”

(Psalm 100, verse four)  –  “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”

(Psalm 150, verse five)  – “Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!”

(Psalm 100, verse five)  – “For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”

(Psalm 150, verse six)  – “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Note:  Now that you have read the Psalms in the intermingled form, recite them both separately so that they don’t get mixed up in your memory.

28* Day Twenty Eight *

Praise truth # 28:  A new song of praise can give us a fresh revelation of who God is and how much He loves us.

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful!”   — Psalm 149:1

As the wife of a songwriter and someone who has occasionally been given a melody and some words of praise, I am very aware of one way that writng a Christian song of praise differs from writing any other kind of song.  It is very apparent to me that the writing of a song of praise to God flows out of our relationship to God and what we are learning in fellowship with him,   In other words, a song often comes when there has been a new revelation of truth or a new perspective that we have seen concerning a truth that we already knew.  As long as God is active within the hearts and lives of His people, new songs of praise will continue to be written.  Any time that you hear a new song, remember that it is a result of God seeking fellowship with man and His desire to reveal Himself to us.  Now that is another reason to praise Him!  Sing a new song in the assembly of the faithful, and declare His praise with the breath of a fresh revelation of His love for you!

Memory Challenge:  If you haven’t yet shared Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 with a friend or family member, do that through recitation, e-mail, or a note to encourage someone with God’s faithfulness (Especially with the message of Psalm 100).

29* Day Twenty Nine *

Praise truth # 29:  “Praise the Lord!”  is not a suggestion.  It is a command.

The message of Psalm 150:  Praise the Lord!

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament; praise Him for His mighty deeds!  Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!  Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!  Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe!  Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”   — Psalm 150:1 – 6  (all verses)

Ten times in the six verses that make up Psalm 150, we are told to “praise God”, “praise Him”, or “praise the Lord”.

The “why” of praise that is mentioned here (for His mighty deeds) is certainly reason enough to praise God with all that we are.

We are told how to praise Him:  “according to His excellent greatness” and with all of the instruments and the implied exuberance that are mentioned in the Psalm.

We are told where to praise Him:  “in His sanctuary” and “in His mighty firmament”.

The two locations that are mentioned for praise to God are interesing because I believe that these locations represent the dwelling place of God.  When it comes to our own praise, the physical location for our praise could certainly be inside a house or center of worship  (church), which would correspond to one interpretation of  the word “sanctuary”.  The playing of all of the instruments mentioned here may also indicate that the Psalmist is talking about praising God in a corporate worship time, which we certainly need to do as well.  However, since God is everywhere and is, at the same time, on His throne, the location of His presence is a rather mysterious concept.   Most importantly, our praises should be genuine and thereby reach the heart of God no matter where we are.

Whether you are in a workplace, your home, in a public gathering place, or in a place of worship, your genuine praise glorifies the Lord.  His presence is with you in that place, and His presence also fills the mighty firmament.  God can remain on His throne while also fulfilling His promise to be in our midst any time that we gather in His name.  The heart of our praise is always most important and matters much more than our physical location or our understanding of where God is.  Like a parent who is pleased when His child expresses appreciation for parental love and care, God is pleased when we praise Him more for what our genuine praise says about who we are becoming than for any other reason.  When our understanding of God’s loving heart allows us to genuinely praise Him, we become more like Christ, whose most important task was to bring glory to God through fulfilling the divine purpose for His earthly life.

4  “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5  “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”  – John 17:4-5

The Psalmist also speaks of playing instruments and even dancing for joy as well.  If there are instruments that you can play in genuine praise, do so.  My husband often plays guitar and sings praise songs in our home.  Others may want to sit at the piano and play a hymn or sing along with Christian radio in their car or with a CD at home.  Whether an individual is praising the Lord in any location or whether we are meeting together for the purpose of corporate worship and praise, we obviously are supposed to praise God with enthusiasm.  We should not be more excited about a win by our favorite team than we are by thinking about God’s power and mercy and grace and patience (long-suffering) and His infinite love, so freely given.  So, praise Him with joy and abandon (even dancing with joy!… you know, your happy dance!).  Praise him with your whole heart and being.  Make some noise!  Praise Him because He is great and because He does great things.  Praise Him in congregational worship and family worship and private worship.  As long as you are breathing, praise the Lord!

Memory Challenge:  How are you doing on memorizing Psalm 150?  Are you still saying both Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 every day?  Put in a little extra time, and make sure that you have both Psalms (all 11 verses) memorized by the end of the month.  You can do it!  When you have them memorized, begin working on Psalm 100 in your family worship times so that your children can learn it, too!

30* Day Thirty *

Praise truth # 30:  Praise is happening all around the world at all times!

“They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord: in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.”   — Isaiah 24:14 – 16a\

Do you hear it?  The praises of the saints are being sung and shouted and expressed by people all over the world who love the Lord and have experienced His salvation.  They are lifting up their voices, singing for joy, and shouting over God’s majesty,  Our awareness of this worldwide symphony of praise in countless languages comes with a condition.  “Therefore”… our response should be…to “give glory to the Lord, to the name of the Lord”.  Join in the song of Heaven’s choirs.  Join with the voices of people all over the world, from the ends of the earth.  Sing songs of praise and of glory to the Righteous One.  Praise Him for His majesty today.  Praise Him for the people He has redeemed.  Praise Him for his goodness.  Praise the Righteous One.  Praise the Lord!

Memory Challenge:  Recite Psalm 100 and Psalm 150 as you praise the Lord today.  Think about what your praise Psalm would say if you were to write a personal prescription for praise for yourself or for your family.

My family’s praise Psalm might go something like this:

“Praise the Lord!  Praise Him wherever you are.

Praise God when you get up in the morning to get ready for the day.

Praise Him when you go to school or when you run to play.

Praise God when you are with your brothers and when you are alone.

Praise God at church; Praise God at home.

Think of God and praise him all day long.

Praise Him with a thank you song.

Praise God when it is time for slumber;

Count your blessings…what a number!

Praise the Lord!  Praise Him everywhere you go,

Praise Him for all of the love that you know.

For our God is so good.

His promises are true.

His love lasts forever.  His mercies are new.

Praise Him with your family.

Praise Him with your friends.

His love lasts forever.  His grace never ends.

Praise the Lord!”

(Your Praise Psalm doesn’t have to be poetic.  Mine just came out that way.  Just make sure that it reflects your personal opportunities to Praise the Lord, some reasons to praise Him, and your intention to do just that.)

31* Day Thirty One *

Praise truth # 31:  When we praise the Lord for what He has done, we are also praising Him for His promises and plans that are yet to be fulfilled on earth, knowing that they are already settled in Heaven.

“O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and true.”   — Isaiah 2

It is such an incredible privelege to know the God of all creation.  He is our God.  He has given Himself to us in the person of Jesus and in His Word and His promises, which will all be fulfilled.  He has given Himself for us as Christ emptied Himself of His majesty to come to earth as a baby and live a sinless life, finally laying down His life as a sacrifice for the sins of all.  He continues to give all that He is through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in our hearts and through the fulfillment of every promise of and plan of old, faithful and true.  Unchanging in His love for us, He has continued to do wonderful things in the world and in our hearts and lives.  The scope of His care for us and for all of creation will be fully revealed when we see all of those plans and promises fulfilled.  In Christ, all of the promises of God are already “yes”and “amen” (2nd Corinthians 1:20).   The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of fulfillment for every promise of God.  Only when we see all of God’s promises fulsilled will we fully know all of the “wonderful things” for which we praise God even now.  We praise Him for the past, for the present moment, and for the certain promise of an eternal life that is beyond human imagination.  He holds all of time in His hands, just as He holds you and me.  Exalt Him, and praise His name!

“For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.”  – 2nd Corinthians 1:20, Amplified Bible

Memory Challenge:  Praise the Lord with the words of Psalm 100 and Psalm 150.  Praise the Lord!

Note from the author of the 31 devotions:  Bless you for your commitment to praise!  I hope you have a clearer picture of how much you are loved and of how much our love and praise, returned to God, means to Him.  Continue in praise from day to day.  The Lord will bless your commitment to Him and meet you there.

Praise   sing praises bird header

PRAISE  AND  AMEN… let it be so!

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, “Amen.”  Praise the Lord!”   — Psalm 106:48

Thank you for your faithfulness in choosing to worship the Lord and seek Him through these 31 days of praise.  Let praise continue!

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”   – Hebrews 13:15

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The devotions for “31 Days of Praise” were written by Cynthia A. Boyd

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Note:  You can use these praise scriptures and devotions as part of your personal worship at any time.  The devotions were completed in time for use in October of 2013, but they can be used in any month.  Just double up a couple of devotions in the shorter months.  Make every month a month of praise!

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You can also use any of our other resources for praise, thanksgiving, and worship.  God bless you!  Praise the Lord!

*  Our “30 Thankful Verses” post has 30 days of brief devotions based upon 30 scriptures about giving thanks.

30 Thankful Verses

*  Our “Lift Your Voice” page has an extensive collection of worship scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments, in chronological order.

https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lift-your-voice/

*  Our “Old Testament Worship Scriptures” post contains the same worship scriptures for the Old Testament found in “Lift Your Voice”.  (We added them as a post also so that we could tag the post and make it easier for people to locate these resources.

Old Testament Worship Scriptures

*  Our “New Testament Worship Scriptures” post contains the same worship scriptures for the New Testament found in “Lift Your Voice”.

New Testament Worship Scriptures

One benefit to having the New Testament scriptures posted by themselves is that there is no need to scroll through all of the Old Testament worship scriptures to get to them.  In addition, we posted these scriptures as separate pages so that we could tag them and make it easier for people to find these separate resources in their search results.

*  Our “WORSHIP…with wonder!”  category of posts

https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

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This post, including the devotions for each day of praise, was written by Cynthia A. Boyd

The daily devotions can be reprinted (one at a time) in your weekly worship e-mail to team members if the author’s name and blog URL are included.  The entire post may not be published or reprinted without permission.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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The Choir in Praise

 Sing praise to the Lord  sunrise“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”   Psalm 30:4

As Choir members (soloists, vocalists in ensembles or Praise Teams), we are in a position of leadership in Worship Ministry every time that we are in the loft or on the platform. 

Sing praises with understandingWe need to have a clear understanding of praise and worship in order to both personally worship the Lord and to lead others in worship.  First, we must understand the difference between praise and worship.

Consider this fact:  the Bible speaks about praise and worship in distinctive ways, sometimes using both words in the same passage of scripture.

*  “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.”   Psalm 51:15

*  “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise!”   Psalm 66:1

I will sing praise*  “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”   Psalm 69:30

*  “Praise ye the Lord; O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever.  Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?  Who can show forth all His praise?”   Psalm 106:1 & 2

In the verses above, certain facts about praise begin to emerge.

1.  Praise is outward.  It is sung or spoken; it is uttered; it is shown forth.

2.  Praise focuses on the attributes of God and what He has done.

3.  Praise is obviously important, for we are told repeatedly to do it.

Now, lets look at some verses that talk about worship.

*  “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘   Psalm 96:6 – 9

*  (Jesus speaking)  “The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23 & 24

Worship the Lord with gladness*  “I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  Romans 12:1

*  “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”  Hebrews 12:28

From these scriptures, we see several truths about worship.

1.  Worship is our response to who God is and what He has done, as we lovingly and reverently choose to acknowledge God’s supremacy over all of Creation and his ultimate worth as Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Comforter, and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

2.  Worship must be done in honesty, knowing that God sees our hearts.  We worship Him truthfully as we come to Him in a spirit of humility and acknowledge our own faults and even our struggles with faith and doubt.  Truthful worship honors God because we are trusting our weaknesses to Him, knowing that He is good.

Worship by giving God all of you3.  Worship that is acceptable and holy to God involves a commitment of all our our lives, choosing to live in a way that honors God and give Him glory.  He has sacrificed His all for us; and we, in turn, become living sacrifices to Him as we commit ourselves to living reverently.  Notice that the physical (presenting of our bodies and our lives as an offering to the Lord) becomes spiritual (our spiritual worship) as we respond to God’s mercies by lovingly giving ourselves.

4.  No matter what has happened in our lives, true worship involves choosing gratitude to God as we recognize that what is temporary is only part of reality.   We look forward in faith, with the assurance that the eternal reality we will someday experience in full will replace all sorrow and pain with joy and the complete knowledge of how much we are loved.

With the fundamental understanding that praise is choosing to express our acknowledgement of who God is and what He has done and that worship is our loving and reverent response to God’s goodness and love in every area of our lives, let us continue to focus on the role of God’s singers in praise and worship.  Although we are always concerned with musical excellence, that concern is secondary to the intentional commitment of our voices in praise and our hearts and lives in worship.

“As a worship pastor and a choir leader, I am constantly desiring to walk the line where authenticity and excellence meet, ministering deeply to the hearts of people, and, more importantly to the heart of God.”

–  Travis Cottrell, Christian Artist, worship pastor, songwriter

Let’s look at a Psalm that puts our lives and God’s supremacy into perspective.

Psalm 103

English Standard Version (ESV)

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

A Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord O my soul103 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me,  bless his holy name!  2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits;  3   who forgives all your iniquity,  who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit,  who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame;  He remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;  he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,  and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

So, WHY DO WE PRAISE THE LORD?

I sing praise to You1) Because the very greatness of God demands it.

2) Because we have been very blessed.

3) Because it helps us to focus on God and not on ourselves.

4) Because praise helps to prepare our hearts for God to do a work in them.

WHY DO WE SING PRAISES TO GOD AS A CHOIR?

1) Because it is Biblical.

2) Because it is a powerful way to express praise to God

3) Because it adds energy and life to the times of focused, congregational worship

4) Because a choir is able to prepare expressions of praise that a congregation can not.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN SINGING IN CHOIR?

1)  We are a singing group, not a group of singers.  We are joining our voices together in praise, with the ultimate goal of bringing glory to God.

What a difference!  This choir is aware that part of communicating the message effectively is eye contact and facial expression.  They are visually engaged in worship when they sing.

This choir is aware that part of communicating the message effectively is eye contact and facial expression. They are visually engaged in worship when they sing.

2)  We must do all we can do to help further an atmosphere conducive to leading God’s people in worship each week.

a. We must have invested the time to be prepared (musically and spiritually).

b. We must be ready to serve the Lord through worship ministry, bringing a servant’s attitude.

c. Our countenance (facial expression and radiance) should be a reflection of worship and praise as well.

d. We must be authentic worshippers who seek to live a lifestyle of worship throughout the week.

3)  The reason that we have come together is not to sing.  It is to worship.  Singing is a part of our worship as we seek to bring glory to God and to express our praise to Him, but the heart of worship is our desire to intentionally express God’s ultimate worth through all that we are.

WORSHIP SCRIPTURES

“But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in reverence, and awe of You.”  Psalm 5:7

“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.”   Psalm 99:5

beauty of holiness“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘   Psalm 96:6 – 9

“And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”‘  Luke 4:7

(Jesus speaking)  “The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23 & 24

“I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  Romans 12:1

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”  Hebrews 12:28

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful are Thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!  Just and true are Thy ways, O King of the ages!  Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord?  For Thou alone art Holy.  All nations shall come and worship Thee, for Thy judgements have been revealed.”  Revelation 15:3 & 4

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The above post includes teaching about worship and praise shared with our Adult Choir by Travis L. Boyd

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FOR FURTHER STUDY ON WORSHIP AND PRAISE

(Below, you will find information about praise and worship from a leadership course about what it means to praise God and what it means to worship God.  The information has been slightly and condensed and edited.)   The web address for the resource found below is http://leresources.com/praise_and_worship.html

Praise and worship are distinct, yet closely related activities. 

A.  Praise is an outward expression of your love for God.  It is a natural and very important part of worship, which is our loving response to the presence of God in our lives.

1.   Praise is a choice.  You can choose to express your love for God at any time, and in any situation.  You can praise Him for who He is, for what He has done, and for what He has promised to do.

2.   Your praise can be addressed directly to God, but it is often directed to others around us, proclaiming His greatness and encouraging others to praise Him.  Praise can even be directed to the spiritual forces in the heavenlies, proclaiming the greatness of the true God.

3.  Though God certainly knows when we are in an attitude of praise and hears the praises of our hearts, we must remember that, by definition, praise must be expressed.  If you have thought about something nice regarding someone you know but have not expressed those thoughts verbally, you have not praised him or her.  Within gatherings such as the congregation and within relationships, praise is expressed by voicing our love and admiration, often specifically mentioning the attributes or actions of the person being praised.  Praise can be written, spoken or sung; but it must be expressed.

4.  When you praise God, He will respond by manifesting His presence to you.  When you experience God’s presence, you are able to respond directly to Him, and tell Him how much you love Him.  That response is called worship.  In worship, you experience intimacy with God, and express your adoration to Him.

B.   Praise is the gateway through which we must pass to enter into the presence of God and worship Him. 

1.  Praise and worship are the activities of heaven and are also very important for the Body of Christ on Earth.

2.  If you do not learn to praise God as He wants to be praised, you will fail to experience His presence, and your worship will be lacking.

3.  You were created to praise and worship God.  (See Romans 12:1)  When you give yourself to the activity of praise and worship, you are fulfilling the purpose for which you are made.  Because of this, the praise and worship of God brings a fulfillment and satisfaction that nothing else in the universe can bring.             

C.  It pleases God when we praise Him.

1.   The Psalms tell us that God comes and manifests His presence in our midst when we praise Him. He inhabits the praises of His people!

2.   The importance that God places on praise is revealed by the frequency of scriptural exhortations about it.  The most frequent exhortation in all of the Bible is to PRAISE THE LORD!  (It is also interesting to note that the longest book in the Bible is the book of Psalms — a book of praise songs!)

D.  It is important to God how you praise and worship Him. 

1.  The example of the tabernacle of Moses in the Old Testament shows us that God has the right to be praised and worshipped as HE desires.  When the people chose to disregard His instructions and follow their own ideas and traditions, He was displeased!

2.   If we are to praise and worship God, we must look to His Word to understand how He desires to be praised and worshipped.  We must allow God to instruct us about how we are to offer up our praise and commit to doing so!

What is Praise?

A    Remember the definition of praise:  Biblical praise is the free expression of love and appreciation to God.

1.    It is important that you love God.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment is that you love the Lord your God.  It is also important, however, for that love to be expressed outwardly.

2 .   A husband and wife may love each other; but if that love is never expressed, if there are no loving words or actions exchanged, their relationship is not good.  A general principle is:  When love is not expressed, it shrivels up and dies.  When love is expressed, it grows.

3.    It is important for your love of God to be expressed outwardly.  That outward expression of your love for Him is PRAISE.

B.  How can we express our love for God in a way that pleases Him?

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” — Mk 12:30

1.  We must open our hearts to God and not attempt to withhold any part of our lives and hearts from Him.  He knows all about us, anyway.

2.  Because we are emotional beings, we must not suppress genuine emotion in expressing our praise.

3.  Praise must come from our innermost being (our soul), which involves choosing to surrender our will.  The decision to praise is a decision of the will.

4.  Even though we are emotional beings, our decision to praise the Lord must not be based upon feelings or circumstances.  In the Psalms, we can see that David spoke to his soul even in the midst of despair and commanded it, “Praise the Lord, O my soul!”   David made a decision, an act of the will, that he would praise the Lord even if he did not feel like it.  Psalm 146 says, “I will praise the Lord all my life, I will sing praise to Him as long as I live!”  That is a choice!  Very often, the times when we do not feel like praising are the very times we need to praise God most.  We need to decide to praise Him because He is worthy of praise, even when we do not feel like it!  When we make that choice, we are expressing love for God from our very souls.

5.   Our minds must be fixed upon God, and our praise must be more than simple repetition.  This involves our intellect.  This is important!  Some people express praise to God that has no meaning.  They just say, over and over, “Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.”  God wants your love to be expressed with your minds.  To praise God deeply, you need to express a real understanding of who God is.

4    Our strength is also to be employed in expressing our love for God through praise.  Praise involves physical activity.  The Bible talks of David “praising God with all of his might.” (2 Sam 6:14).  That is expressing love with your strength.

C.   Why is Praise Important?

Eph 1:6,12,14 and 1 Pet 2:9 state that one of God’s purposes for saving us is to be a people who would show forth His praises in the earth.

1.  Praise aligns our hearts to God. 

2.  Praise opens our hearts to receive from Him.

3.  Praise clears away distractions.  Only when we choose to focus on praising the Lord can we clear our minds of other concerns.

4.  Praise builds faith.  As we choose to focus on praising God rather than upon our problems, faith rises within us.

5.  Praise brings His presence.  When we truly praise God, His presence is manifested in your midst, often in a very tangible way.  We know that God is present everywhere, at all times and that there is nothing that is out of His control (His omipresence).  We also know that, for every person who is a true believer in Jesus Christ, God lives within that individual in a special way.  (When you trusted in Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit of God took up residence in your heart.  He is always with you to comfort, to enlighten, and to teach you as you read His Word.  You may not feel His presence, but by faith you can know that He is there.  This is God’s indwelling presence.)  What the Bible speaks of when scripture says that God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3) is His manifest presence.

a)   God’s presence is manifest when He chooses to make His presence known.  It is when He makes Himself tangible to you.  You experience Him and enter into a spiritual intimacy with Him.  This is also when His power is revealed.  (Power is an outflow of communion with Him.)

b)   When we experience the manifest presence of God, He is there to heal, to comfort, to energize His gifts, or to manifest His power.  If you want to experience God’s presence, and see God work in power in your life, the solution is to learn to praise Him.

6.   Praise defeats the enemy.  See Psalm 149:   The first six verses give us a beautiful description of praise, but in verse 7 and following, it changes to a description of warfare.   There are times when you know you are under attack.  Everything seems to go wrong.  Many times, it is just after you have made a step forward in your spiritual life.  Sometimes it is when you are just getting ready to begin a new area of ministrWhat do you do when the enemy attacks?  One solution is to praise God.

How is Praise Expressed?

In the Old Testament, there are seven Hebrew words used for praise.  Each one of these describes a specific way of expressing your love to God.

A.   The Physical Expression of Praise.

1.  Yadah and Towdah (to praise with lifted hands).

a)   The first two words for praise are very similar in meaning.  They are Yadah and Towdah.  They both come from the Hebrew word that means “to extend the hand”.  These two describe an expression of praise by extending the hands upward to God in adoration.

b)  Yadah” is the most frequently used word for praise in the Bible.  Most of the exhortations to praise use this word.

c)   The lifting of hands is an outward expression of love, dependency, submission, and appreciation.

d)   When you raise your hands to God, it tells your mind that you are dealing with someone greater than you are.

2.   Barak (To bend the knee in praise, to bow down before).

a)   Barak” describes an expression of praise that uses not just the hands, but the whole body.  It is the expression of praise by kneeling or bowing down to God.

b)   When we bow down before God, we are acknowledging Him as our Lord, the King of the universe.  It is very appropriate to express our praise to Him in this way.

c)   Your bodies were designed by God to be instruments to express His praise.  It is valid to stand, kneel, lift your hands, or fall down on your face before Him.  God wants you to be free to express your praise to him with your bodies.

B.  The Musical Expression of Praise.

Music is spiritually significant for a number of reasons.  Music makes you sensitive to hear God (2 Kings 3:14-16), it communicates spiritual truth (Col 3:16), and (if played under the anointing of God) it can drive away spiritual enemies (1 Sam 16:14-23).

1.   Zamar (to praise God with a musical instrument).

a)   Zamar comes from a root word that means “to pluck strings of a musical instrument.”  This word is used in several passages, including Psalm 135:3 and Psalm 147:7.  (This is the Hebrew word we get the word “Psalms” from.  The Psalms were songs to be sung together with instruments.)

b)   The Bible indicates that the instrumental part of the music is important.  Psalm 150 exhorts us to praise God on string, wind, and percussion instruments.  The Israelites used all the instruments they had as instruments for praising God.

2.  Tehillah (to express praise in song).

a)  The word “tehillah comes from a root word that means “to sing.”

b)   It is used in such passages as Psalm 34:1-2.  “His praise (tehillah) shall continually be in my mouth” and Psalm 100:4, “Enter His courts with praise (tehillah).”

c)  Not all singing is praise, even if you are singing hymns or praise songs.  Singing songs of praise becomes praise when you are singing to the Lord as an expression of love to Him.

d)   In Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16, Paul describes three categories of songs to sing to the Lord.

       Psalms – The Psalms are Biblical songs.  Even though we do not know the original tunes to the Psalms, we can take the words of the Psalms and set them to music and sing these inspired songs to God.

       Hymns – Hymns are songs of praise to God that are not part of the Bible.  The modern expressions of praise we sing today, as well as the hymns written through the history of the church, would all be included in the category of hymns.

       Spiritual Songs – Spiritual songs are songs given by the Spirit, for a particular moment.  They are a spontaneous expression of love for God.  There are two categories of spiritual songs:

C.   The Free Expression of Joy

Sometimes God wants you to be deep and thoughtful in your expression of love, but at other times the love inside of you wants to burst forth in free expression.  There are times when you want to shout it from the rooftops!  There are two words that describe this kind of praise:

1.    Halal (to celebrate)

a)    halal” is a Hebrew word that means to celebrate. 

b)   Halal means to express your love for God by joyously and freely celebrating before Him.

c)   Biblical descriptions of Halal involve clapping hands, dancing, shouting, and rejoicing before the Lord.  This word is used in such passages as Psalm 47:1-6 and Psalm 150.

d)  It is from the word “halal” that we get the word “hallelujah”.  (Hallelujah is an exhortation to have a halal for Yahweh).

In 2nd Samuel 6, when the ark was brought into Jerusalem, David took off his robe and danced before the Lord.  (That was halal.)  His wife, Michal, watched David dance and despised him for it.  When he returned, she criticized him and accused him of making a fool of himself by dancing before the Lord.

David responded to Michal by saying that it was all right to look foolish for God.  He told her that he would continue to be foolish for God, because everything he had was given to him by God.

The passage concludes by mentioning God’s judgment on Michal for criticizing David’s dancing.  Because she despised David’s joyful praise, God made Michal barren for the rest of her life.  The lesson here is to be careful of criticizing other people’s praise.

2.  Shabach (to shout).

a)  Shabach” means to praise in a loud tone, to shout, or to shout in triumph.  It is used in such passages as Ps 117:1 and Ps 147:12.  This form of praise is common in the Bible.

b)  In Nehemiah, the people rejoiced before the Lord; and the noise of their celebration was so loud that it could be heard a long way off.  They were shouting before the Lord.

c)   Rev 19:1, 4-6:  In this description of heavenly praise, the roar of all the heavenly hosts shouting their praises is so loud that it sounds like thunder.

If your praise is weak, your worship will be shallow.  If you enter into the high praises of God and praise Him with all of your might, you will find that your high praise will be followed by a time of deep worship.

Note:  The worship resource above, copied and edited here, can be found in its entirety at http://leresources.com/praise_and_worship.html

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More about praise from http://www.allaboutprayer.org/how-to-praise-and-worship-god-faq.htm

When we worship, we are expressing our reverent love and devotion to God. Worship is the act of doing something like reading the Bible, praying, or singing. However, worship is not limited to only to these things. When we praise, we are expressing our admiration for God; we are lifting Him up in exaltation. Praise is the act of celebrating or boasting about the Lord. Praise can be done through song, poems, or confessing the goodness of God to others. We should be giving God our praise and worship through our daily lives. We can do this at home, in our work place, on the bus – wherever we are! Praise and worship is a way of life, the very heartbeat of our relationship with God.

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Praise To God – The Importance of Praise

Praise to God is what we offer in acknowledgement of God’s excellent being. You might think that praise is the same as saying “thank you,” but there is a difference. Thanksgiving describes our attitude toward what God has done, while praise is offered for who God is. Psalm 18:3 says “I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise…”

All believers are commanded to praise God! In fact, Isaiah 43:21 explains that praise is one reason we were created, “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” Hebrews 13:15 confirms this: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

Praise originates in a heart full of love toward God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Are you a Christian today? If so, you know that you love God because He first loved you! Without God’s love, any praise you can offer is hollow. Love, born from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, is an essential part of your praise.

Praise To God – How to Praise God

How can you bring praise to God? What can you do to make it an integral part of your life? Praise can be expressed in song, in verse, or in prayer and it is to be done continuously! Psalm 34:1 instructs, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 71:6 says, “From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.”

Praise to God is expressed outwardly through our everyday actions, as well as inwardly in our thoughts. Praise is an act of Christian worship.

“Where do I begin?” you may ask. “How do I start praising God?” If praising God is new to you, try praising God for who He is to you, personally. Proclaim that God’s goodness is without measure; it is abundant and overflowing! Here are some ways to get started:

• Praise God for His holiness, mercy, and justice (2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 99:3-4).

• Praise God for His grace (Ephesians 1:6).

• Praise Him for His goodness (Psalm 135:3).

• Praise God for His kindness (Psalm 117).

• Praise God for His salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Praise to God can be offered anywhere! In time, it will become as normal as taking a breath. Sometimes we praise God inwardly as in Psalm 9:2, “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Other times we have opportunity to give glory and praise to our God publicly. Psalm 22:22 says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.” Search out opportunities to bring praise to God!

Praise To God – Who Praises God?

Praise to God, while offered particularly by His children as the freewill expression of grateful hearts, will one day be offered by everyone! The Bible says that when He comes again, all mankind will praise Him and acknowledge Him as Lord. He is King over all the earth. When we know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our hearts long to praise His name. Philippians 2:9-11 tells us His name represents His being, describing who He is, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Bible also records:

• All nature praises God (Psalm 148:7-10).

• The sun, moon, and stars praise Him (Psalm 19:1 and 148:3).

• The angels praise Him (Psalm 148:2).

• Even the wrath of men is used by God to praise Himself (Psalm 76:10).

• Children are to be taught to praise God (Psalm 78:4).

Praise To God – Do You Proclaim His Praise?

Your praise to God is evidenced through your salvation. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

NOTE:  The above can be found at http://www.allaboutprayer.org/how-to-praise-and-worship-god-faq.htm

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Read more!

The book “God’s Singers”, by Dave Williamson, is a great resource for Worship Leaders and Choir Directors.  Singers would enjoy the special Singer’s edition of the book.  Here  is a review of the book, from Worship Leader online magazine.

God’s Singers

By | Categories: In Review
Author: Warren Anderson
Every so often a worship music book is published that becomes recognizable as the definitive, go-to reference for its particular genre in its particular generation.  In our time, if you wish to talk about the history of music in the Church, go to Paul Westermeyer’s Te Deum.  If building a case for congregational song is your desire, your first stop should be John Bell’s A Case for Congregational Song.  Want a grad-school-level analysis of how contemporary worship music is used these days?  The Message in the Music (Robert Woods and Brian Walrath) is your best bet.Dave Williamson’s God Singers joins these other must-haves where the specific subject of worship-leading choirs is concerned.  Every possible topic that should be covered in a book of this nature is here.  Biblical support for the use of choirs in worship?  Check.  Lots and lots of practical how-to’s for getting the best sound out of your singers?  Got it.  Sociological discussions of issues inherent in corporate ministry, even ones peculiar to choral singing?  Yep.  Stylistic techniques for transforming your choristers into a black-gospel choir, a rock choir, or a modern-worship choir—i.e., what to do with vibrato, vocal licks, and syncopation?  They’re here.  Helpful appendices from Williamson’s 40 years in the biz?  Nine of them.  Consider purchasing the (condensed) singer’s edition for your choir members and the (expanded) director’s edition, which includes a CD-ROM of ancillaries, for yourself.  Highly recommended. Title: God’s Singers Author: Dave Williamson Publisher: In:cite Media
Here’s a link to the Singer’s Edition of the book on ChristianBook.com:  http://www.christianbook.com/gods-singers-singers-edition-dave-willimason/9780615406312/pd/406312
NOTE:  The quotation by Travis Cottrell found in this blog post came from his online recommendation for this book.
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Singing a New Song

Sing to the LordWhat does the Bible have to say about new songs or new music, and what can new songs mean for us?

Here are some scripture verses about a having a new song and some thoughts about how new songs can bring new life.

A new song, wherever you are!

Sing a new song to the LORD.  Sing His praise from the ends of the earth, you people who sail on the seas and all the creatures that live in them, you coastlands and all who live on them.

–  Isaiah 42:10

God has given us the gift of music so that we might creatively express thoughts and feelings with a depth of emotional and spiritual meaning that goes beyond what mere words can convey.  He has given music as a tool whereby we might respond and communicate with each other and with Him.  He has given us the ability to appreciate and enjoy music.  And, He has given us the ability to create music.

When we return a new song to God in praise, we have completed a circle of giving.  He gives the capabilities to hear various pitches, to internalize rhythms, and to understand the meaning of lyrics.  He has created, and He gives us the ability to create.  God has given to us a revelation of truth or a new way to express truth that becomes the message and style, melody and rhythm, harmony and expression of the new song.  Together, these elements form the whole of a gift that we can then give back to our Father God as we worship Him.

No matter where we are, we can live in relationship with God in a way that allows Him to give us a song.  Whether your song is one you recently discovered, written by someone else, which expresses exactly where you are on your spiritual journey or whether God used your gifts to write the song 6 minutes ago, He knows when our hearts are pouring out a new message of love and thankfulness to HIm.

Sing to the Lord a new song all the earthA new song as a personal expression of worship

I will sing a new song to You, O God; Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You.

–  Psalm 144:9

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At its highest and noblest purpose, music can be a vehicle whereby we communicate the truths of God’s word or His character and lift that message up to God in worship, with the purpose of bringing glory to Him, encouraging the body of Christ, and sharing a message of testimony and truth that God’s Spirit can use to draw hearts to the Lord.

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A new song as congregational praise

Praise the LORD!  Sing to the LORD a new song.  Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.  

–  Psalm 149:1

sing a new song to the LordThere are times when we need a new song.  Perhaps the songs we already know don’t say exactly what we want to say.  Perhaps God has given inspiration for both melody and words to say something new or to share a well-loved truth in a new way.  Every song begins with an idea, whether that idea is a musical idea or a lyrical one.  However, songs that are written to bring glory to God begin with something more profound:  a revelation.  God speaks to the heart of the songwriter or lyric writer through His Spirit, through the Word, through something that someone says, or a book or article, or even through His creation.  A revelation of spiritual truth can also come through the lessons in a time of trial or even in a time of victory as we learn to trust God in all of life.  All of these kinds of experiences can be used by God to inspire someone that He has gifted with songwriting abilities in the creation of a new song.  This song in turn can become a vehicle for the writer and sometimes for the praise of the congregation or for multititudes of congregations.

A new song as a hymn of praise and a powerful testimony that draws others to the Lord

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what he has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the LORD. 

–  Psalm 40:3

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In our experience, the music that Travis has been inspired to write has been a chronicle of our spiritual journey and what the Lord has been doing in our hearts along the way.  Many of these songs were born out of a moment of recognition or revelation when a spiritual lesson was beginning to become a clear guiding light of recognizable truth that God would use to move us further along down the road to becoming more like Jesus.   Many of these spiritual life lessons are truths that we thought we already knew.  However, God has allowed us to experience them in a deeper or more profound way that has changed our perspective, focused our efforts, and refined our character.   For example, we had always heard and read and known intellectually that God is faithful.  However, through some rocky experiences over a long period of time and the simple fact that we were able to hang in there and keep hoping until we saw the faithfulness of God manifested in various situations, God taught us again to trust His faithfulness.  We learned once more that we could choose to trust Him even when we had no understanding of why things happened as they did and even when every fiber of our being was desperately crying out for resolution to pain and crisis NOW!  We learned that we have the easy part (if you could call waiting in desperation easy) of just holding on, while God is not only working throughout the situation but also working in the hearts of we who are struggling to believe while knowing that we must believe even when belief seems contrary to every indicator of reality.  How patient He is with us as we learn the same lessons over and over again, hopefully at a deeper level of spiritual understanding and growth.  Out of such experiences came songs like Travis’ “God is Faithful,” “I Am Here,” (the assurance of God’s presence) and “Much More Than a Song” (the recognition of the fact that God is worthy of praise in any circumstance).

Sing a new songA new song as a Psalm of thanks for what God has done.

Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done wonderful deeds.  His right hand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown his saving power!

–  Psalm 98:1

The fact that God continues to give “a new song” is an encouragement for individual Christians and for the people of God.  It means that God is still at work in the hearts of His people.  It means that God is still “with us” and is striving to complete His work in our lives, as He has promised.  It means that God’s patience (long-suffering) is still delaying His judgement of this world because of His mercy and grace and His great love.  Like a sermon or a book that someone has been inspired to write and to proclaim, a new song means that there are still lessons to learn and souls that need to be saved.  As long as God continues to inspire new songs as messages of His love, His faithfulness, His mercy and grace, His plan for our lives and for all of creation, God’s people are reminded through another means that God is still working to accomplish His purposes.  His Spirit is working in our hearts, His Word is instructing us in righteousness, and the messages that God inspires men to write or speak or act or paint or sing or sculpt (and, especially, to live!) for His glory are testimonies of God’s faithfulness in all of these things.

A new song for everyone!

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 

–  Psalm 96:1

sing of the mercies of the LordSome of the songs that individuals feel inspired to write may never be heard by many people.  The purpose of a song may be as an individual expression of praise to God.  This kind of new song is very personal to the writer as a part of their spiritual journey and may exist only to serve as a vehicle of praise for that person.  Someone who has never thought of themselves as a song writer may even find themselves singing to the Lord in worship with lyrics that are uniquely their own.  A song does not have to be sung by millions in order to be a valid expression of praise to God.  He knows when your “new song” expresses the praises of your heart or speaks of a lesson learned or a truth that has been understood in a new way.  In essence, every time we sing any song of praise to God, it can be a “new song” of praise to Him when it becomes the very real and sincere praise of the present moment, when our hearts cry out anew in thankfulness and awe.

A new song in Heaven

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain; and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 

–  Revelation 5:9

Our God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  But His creation continues to change even as He creates newness in hearts and lives.  The heartbreak of pain and loss will not always be with us.  All of the trials of this world are temporary.  Someday, He will make all things new, just as He is now making our hearts new.  The process of His work on our spiritual creation gives us some new songs to sing along the way.  Is is a joy to know that someday we will sing of His victory in a place where there is no more to overcome.  We will have overcome all things through the blood of the Lamb, through the giving of our lives to Him, through the Word of truth, and through the word of our testimony.  Our songs of trusting God when we don’t understand will become obsolete.  Finally, we will know Him even as we are known, and God will give us a new song of thanksgiving and praise for all of eternity.

Sing HallelujahA new song of joy

Sing a new song of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy. 

–  Psalm 33:3

For now, we will continue our songs, both old and new.  We will sing of God’s salvation and power.  We will sing of His faithfulness and love.  We will sing of God’s mercy and His amazing grace.  We will sing with joy, for we know that we are not the only ones who are singing.  Our God rejoices over us as his dearly beloved children, and He sings over us as well.  He is with us.  He is mighty in power and yet tender and gentle in His patience, renewing us with His love until that day when we will dwell with Him and the former things will all pass away.

His song for you and me

The LORD your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy. 

–  Zephaniah 3:17

My husband, singing his song, “Much More Than a Song” (available as a Vocal Solo or Choral Anthem on http//:www.worshipsounds.com )

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Worshipful Ideas for Choir Appreciation Sunday / Music MinIstry Sunday

Click the image above to go directly to the official facebook page for National Choir Appreciation Sunday

Click the image above to go directly to the official facebook page for National Choir Appreciation Sunday

Sunday, January 20th, 2013, has been designated as the second annual National Choir Appreciation Sunday.  Since appreciation, thankfulness, and encouragement are always appropriate at every time of year, such an event is a good reminder for those who lead in Music and Worship Ministry that we need to express thankfulness publicly for the volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to participate in Choir and other Music Ministry organizations, with the purpose of using their talents to glorify and honor the Lord.

Remember that the designated date for Choir Appreciation Sunday is not the only time that you can plan an appreciation event for your choir or for all of your music ministry participants. January may not be the best month for such an event at your church. It can be difficult to come back right after Christmas and plan a large musical event within the month. So, if you want to plan an Appreciation Sunday event for your Choir(s) or for all of your Music Ministry volunteers (musicians, tech team, drama group, etc), good planning is essential. Here are some suggestions and ideas that you may want to consider or implement.

1. After you have formulated some plans in your mind and before you do any publicity, share your plans with your Pastor and at Staff Planning Meeting. Your Pastor and fellow Ministers may have some ideas that will be helpful guidance for you in selecting the best date to have such an emphasis and also some ideas about how to proceed with planning that may give a boost to your own creativity. The primary thing that you need to stress is that you want to say “thank you” to these faithful Music Ministry participants without taking the focus off of our mighty God, who is the Source of music, the Giver of gifts, and the reason we sing. Remember that you do not have to stick to the January date if that does not allow enough time for preparation right after the Christmas holidays or work well for your church, your groups, or your calendar. Flexibility is key.

2. In doing your planning to prepare for meeting with your Pastor and Ministerial Staff, pray for direction. For example, you need to determine whether to make this a Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday or whether to just make the Choir your focus. You may have other groups that you want to include in this time of thanksgiving, such as accompanists, orchestra, handbell choirs, age-group choirs (from pre-school choir to Sr. Adult Choir and everything in between), praise teams, rhythm section, tech teams, etc.

3.  If your focus is to be for all of the Music Ministry groups, you could use a “Celebration Sunday” approach, with several groups sharing messages in song or performing together, keeping the focus on worship. At some point, you could direct the attention of the congregation to the fact that God is the Source and Giver of Music and musical talents, that He sings over us, and that He has blessed your church with some incredible volunteers in Music Ministry. You could ask the congregation to join you in thanking God through prayer for the gifts that He has given and the privelege of singing (and playing) music for His glory. Applause in thanksgiving would also be appropriate, again directed at God. At the conclusion of this focus time, I would recommend a brief statement, encouraging your congregation to verbally express their thanks to the people who are involved as volunteers in Music Ministry in your church whenever possible. stating that we all need to encourage one another, and saying that verbal encouragement to anyone who serves in any capacity within the fellowship lifts the body of Christ and draws our hearts closer to one another. Then, get back to praise and worship of the One who gives us a reason to serve, to sing, to play, to teach, and to love.
Your Pastor may want to tie his message to the focus for the day, perhaps preaching about encouraging one another or about worship in general, but this is not absolutely necessary. However, your planning and communication with him gives him the opportunity to do this if he feels led in this direction.

3. Combine Choirs and include groups of all ages!  You may choose to have the Youth Choir and Senior Adult Choir join the Adult Choir in sharing a message on your special emphasis Sunday. This is the sort of thing that requires advance planning for all of the groups’ schedules as well as a little bit of extra rehearsal time, so repertore decisions and decisions about which groups to include need to take place in the early stages of planning. (Note: See our repertoire suggestions at the end of this blog poat.) At our church, these 3 groups could sing a song that our Senior Adult Choir already knows and has just shared at our statewide Senior Adult Choir Festival. In rehearsal times, invite your Senior Adult Choir and Youth Choir into the Adult Choir rehearsal to help the young people learn the song. Most churches have some very lively and fun-loving youth and Senior Adults, so this should be an energetic and enjoyable time for all. Then, plan a joint rehearsal with all three groups, along with accompanists or orchestra and rhythm section, your tech team that will be coordinating sound, lighting, and media, and any other participants such as scripture readers or banner carriers, prior to the special emphasis Sunday.

Here are some additional ideas (some that would work best for an All-inclusive Music Minstry Celebration Sunday, and several that would work well for a Choir Appreciation focus) to consider during your planning:

a. If you have worship banners that are not up in your Sanctuary or Worship Center all the time, consider using these to add to the celebration (of giving thanks for God’s gift of music and for the musical gifts within your volunteer musical groups) in your service that day. Or, you may want to use several weeks to focus on the attributes of God before the focused Celebration Sunday comes to pass. For example, if you have a banner that says, “Lamb of God,” make this your focus on a particular Sunday. Sing songs and read scripture that relate to the sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God. Then, if you have another banner that says, “King of Kings,” make that your focus on another week. Save your “Jesus” or “Lord of Lords” or “Mighty God” banner for the final week of Celebration emphasis when you will express thanks for your faithful Music Ministry volunteers but primarily focus on the God who has formed them, gifted them, saved them, and called them to serve.

b. You could also have a few Music Ministry volunteers give a brief testimony, one each week, in the weeks leading up to your special emphasis Sunday. They could tell what the opportunity to serve in this way means to them and how God speaks to them through music.

c. Enter singing praises! You could begin the special service by leading a worship chorus with only your accompanists and rhythm section on the platform or in the loft area. Then have your choir come in (from the back of your Worship Center) near the end of that song or during a second, more upbeat, worship song or hymn, singing as they come down the aisles. If you involve multiple choirs, this could be especially effective; and banners that relate to worship and praise could be carried in at the front of each group. Perhaps each Adult or Senior Adult Choir member could walk beside a child from your childrens choirs, making sure that ‘their’ child winds up standing where the Childrens’ Choir is supposed to be (perhaps on risers or just in a group in front of the Youth and Adult Choirs). You could even ask the congregation to stand in worship of our mighty God and join your choirs and/or musicians in lifting praise to Him. Then, you could have an excellent trumpet player play a short but majestic fanfare just prior to the song or hymn that is used for the choir’s entrance. Fanfare guidelines: if someone else (your trumpet player, for example) chooses the fanfare that will be played, make sure he/she knows what key will work well with the hymn or chorus that is to follow, make sure that it is not a familiar fanfare (such as the well known ones used for the Olympics), and listen to it being played to give your final OK. For the choral procession, I would suggest “Worthy of Worship” as a great hymn choice or “Sing to the King” if you prefer to use a chorus.

d. If you want to have a one day focus, using all of your banners or media to focus on the attributes of God, you can use all of your banners on that one Sunday by focusing each song or scripture reading on a different attribute or name of God (having that banner carried in during the appropriate song), ending with a “Lord of Lords” or “Mighty God” banner and focus. You could even have various lay leaders help you to end the time of musical praise by having each person emphatically state the name for God or for Christ on one of your banners; and when all the names have been pronounced, say that this is why we worship Him. He is worthy of our praise.

e. You could choose to have a Choir Reunion or Music Ministry Reunion be a part of your special day. If there are former members that you could contact who live within driving distance and could join you for a special Sunday emphasis, this could be very meaningful. Be sure to give them a few weeks notice in your invitation to come. This could also serve as a reminder of the ultimate Choir reunion that will take place someday in Heaven.

f. Use your media capabilities to the fullest. Have pictures of your groups (in rehearsal, from special productions, serving in various ways on mission trips, etc.) that are shown on the screen as you speak about them or when they join together to sing (and play) a special worship song.

g. Do some research and study about the use of choirs in worship and praise (in the Bible and throughout the history of the church) so that you may be able to share some specific scriptures or brief facts during your service. (Note: See our page entitled “Lift Your Voice (worship scriptures)” for a great worship scripture reference from both the Old and New Testaments. Here is the link: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lift-your-voice/

h. Remember that this is a special day of encouragement and thankfulness for the people of God who use their talents to glorify God, and then ultimately direct all praise toward God Himself, who is always worthy of our thankfulness for every good thing.

i. You could have a special dinner after the morning worship service for your Choir(s) or for all Music Ministry volunteers (at your church or at a restaurant). This dinner could end with a prayer of commitment to continue to use our gifts in His service.

j. Attempt to keep the focus on worship of God and Jesus and off of yourself as Worship Leader, Minister, or Pastor. Worship is the privelege of every Christian, and you could even have a couple of teachable moments for your congregation (about 24/7 worship, seeking to glorify Him in all that we do) woven into the fabric of your focused worship time. To help emphasize the point that worship is so much more than just singing or hearing a song, if you use a bulletin, make sure that it utilizes specific worship headings, such as”
“Worship through contemplation” (prelude)
“Worship through proclamation” (song of proclamation of who God is, His power, what He has done…)
“Worship through giving” (tithes and offering)
“Worship through testimony” (spoken or sung)
“Worship through exhortation” (a message or song of challenge or encouragement)
“Worship through thanksgiving” (sung, spoken, or prayed)
“Worship through prayer”
“Worship through praise”
“Worship through the spoken Word” (scripture reading)
“Worship through the proclamation of the Word” (sermon)

You get the idea. All that we do is worship when done with the motivation of glorifying God.
For help with ideas for communicating a theology of lifestyle worship, see our page entitled “Lifestyle Worship” at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship/

k. Use a meaningful reading at some point, such as excerpts from David Nassar’s book, “Glory Revealed.” Begin reading on page 30, chapter 2, (titled ” Glory Revealed Through Conversation) under the bold print heading, “…every song we sing to the Lord is a duet and not a solo.” Read through the end of the chapter (slightly less than 3 pages). You will probably want to make some cuts in the text, such as the section on lullabies, for use in congregational worship; but this is a very meaningful passage that can change the outlook of individuals regarding worship for the remainder of their lives. Decide whether to have one person read this or to divide the lines up between 2 readers, and make sure this is well-prepared in order to be most effective.

SOME  REPERTOIRE  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  CHOIR  OR  MUSIC  MINISTRY  APPRECIATION SUNDAY

Here are a few suggestions for your repertoire on Choir Appreciation Sunday or Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday:

1. “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music”
lyrics by the late J. Paul Williams
music by Joseph M. Martin
(Full orchestration available for the recently updated version of this anthem.  See link below.)
If this piece is already in your library, you may want to consider re-purchasing it in the updated version released as part of the “Legacy” series honoring well-known lyricist J. Paul Williams. The arrangement has been updated by composer Joseph M. Martin, and a new orchestration has been written for this piece by Stan Pethel. This piece is now available for SSA and TTB in addition to the SATB voicing. For more information, here is a link to the publisher’s info page:
http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=35020874
To listen to the updated version of “Sometimes I Hear God’s Music” in SATB voicing, with the new orchestration, use this link: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sometimes-i-hear-gods-music/141068/

2. “The Music of God”
lyrics by John Parker
music by Mark Hayes
Here is a link to a performance video of “The Music of God”:  http://www.choirplace.com/videos/2781/the-music-of-god-mark-hayes-jakarta-festival-chorus
Can incorporation choirs of all ages, including children’s choir
Also published by the Harold Flammer division of Shawnee Press (now under Hal Leonard)
This piece is arranged for SATB choir (though much of the part writing is in SAB), with children’s choir, congregation, and flute obbligato. It has an excellent text and beautiful melody. It also encorporates the familiar hymn melody known as Ellacombe (“I Sing the Mighty Power of God”) for congregational singing. I could not find a listening sample in my web searches, but you can obtain a free browser copy of this anthem on Mark Hayes’ website at this link:
http://www.markhayes.com/Anthems/THE-MUSIC-OF-GOD.html

3. “Sing a Song to the Lord”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
published by Shawnee Press (see info on our websites ‘Published Music’ page at http://www.worshipsounds.com )
This is a more upbeat choral praise anthem, in SATB voicing, with a contrast in styles between the legato verses and the rhythmic chorus. Here is the Publisher’s description: “Travis Boyd is fantastic at up-tempo rhythmic pieces and this youthful expression of praise is no exception. Use as a call to worship or as an intergenerational moment incorporating youth and adult choirs. The creative transition section builds to an impressive crescendo that is very exciting to sing and hear. Exhilarating!”
To listen to this anthem, use this link: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sing-a-song-to-the-lord/335710/
“Sing a Song to the Lord” is available from:
* Stanton’s (hear complete demo, price $1.75) @ http://listeninglab.stantons.com/search/?v=Travis+Boyd&t=composer&x=67&y=17
* Pine Lake (complete demo for listening, info about accompaniment track, price $1.75) at this link: http://pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=Travis% 20Boyd&toc=false
* Sheet Music Plus (with complete demo and sample pages, no mention of trax, price $1.40) at this link: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?q=Travis+Boyd
* Music Mart (price 1.75, no demo) @ http://www.musicmart.com/Search.aspx?k=Travis%20Boyd
* Music 44 (price $1.75, no demo) @ http://www.music44.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=6064E0ACEA8A57A23CE7B0B96DBF8E2A&Screen=SRCH&Store_Code=X&ArtistSearch=Travis_Boyd&Pg=2&SortBy=1&PerPg=12&PgChange=1
* From original publisher, Shawnee Press (price $1.75, no demo), at this link: http://www.shawneepress.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=204&keywords=Travis+Boyd
* And from Hal Leonard (price $1.75, no demo) at this link: http://www.halleonard.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=5&keywords=Travis+Boyd&searchcategory=00

4. “Let the Trumpet Sound”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral with piano accompaniment and Trumpet Obbligato (obbligato can also be played on organ or keyboard)
This anthem has a classical type sound. It has been sung, in an SSAA arrangement, by The Singing Churcwomen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, and was used at the beginning of the group’s worship concerts. This anthem is available on our WorshipSounds website’s “General Usage Anthems” music page.  (Click link, below right, with Worship Sounds church logo,  then scroll down to the anthem.)

Click this image to go to the Adult  Choir tab on the General Usage Anthems page of our Worship Sounds Music website.

HERE’S THE LINK TO OUR WORSHIP SOUNDS MUSIC WEBSITE!  Click this image to go to the Adult
Choir tab on the General Usage Anthems page of our Worship Sounds Music website.

5. “For the Glory of God”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral anthem with an upbeat message of praise, also available in SSAA and TTBB voicings
This anthem is in the current repertoire of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, a choir made up of women who are active in Worship ministry throughout the state of Georgia, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan. It is also available in SSAA. “For the Glory of God” can be found on our website’s Adult Choir tab on the “General Usage Anthems” music page.  (Click link at right with Worship Sounds church logo, then scroll down to the anthem.)

6. “Much More Than a Song”
lyrics and music by Travis L. Boyd
SATB Choral, also available as a Vocal Solo (in 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High voice)
This anthem has been sung in a TTBB voicing by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, and by the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan. It is a lovely ballad with a thoughtful and inspiring message about choosing to praise God in every circumstance. “Much More Than a Song” is available on our website’s Adult Choir tab on the “General Usage Anthems” music page.  (Click link above with Worship Sounds church logo,  then scroll down to the anthem.)

7.  “Praise God”
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
SATB Choral, published by the Glory Sounds division of Shawnee Press (now with Hal Leonard)
A lovely setting of the traditional Doxology lyrics with a flowing piano accompaniment, this choral anthem incorporates a portion of the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”.
You can hear this anthem in its entirety on our SoundCloud, and then there are links in the information about the anthem that will lead you to distributors who offer it. Here is the link to the publisher’s choral demo on our Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/05-praise-god-copyright?in=travis-l-boyd/sets/publishers-demos-of-my-choral
“Praise God” is available from Sheet Music Plus at this link: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?q=Travis+Boyd

8. “All the Praise”
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
Published by the Lorenz Corporation
SATB Choral
Available from the Lorenz Corporation, with all related products (Brass & Rhythm Score, Acc. Trax), complete demo and sample pages at this link: http://www.lorenz.com/Results.aspx?page=1&rpp=25&title=Travis%20Boyd&voicing1=&div=&producttype=*&usage=&level=&pop=False&pod=True&bnew=True&bbest=False&sortorder=ASC&composer=&acap=False&series=&SearchOpt=&biblebook=&biblechapter=-1&bibleverse=-1&divwiseproduct=False

9. Magnificent Praise
lyrics and music by Travis (L.) Boyd
Published by the Lorenz Corporation
SATB Choral
Available from the Lorenz Corporation, with all related products (Brass & Rhythm Score, Acc. Trax), complete demo and sample pages at this link: http://www.lorenz.com/Results.aspx?page=1&rpp=25&title=Travis%20Boyd&voicing1=&div=&producttype=*&usage=&level=&pop=False&pod=True&bnew=True&bbest=False&sortorder=ASC&composer=&acap=False&series=&SearchOpt=&biblebook=&biblechapter=-1&bibleverse=-1&divwiseproduct=False

* If this blog post has been helpful to you, please take a moment to comment to that effect on the referring web post or social media site so that others will know that reading it is worth their time. Please share this blog post link with others who might not see it without your referral.
* If you have additional ideas for a Choir Appreciation Sunday or Music Ministry Appreciation Sunday, please add them as comments to this blog so that others can benefit from your creativity and inspiration. Thank You!
* Be sure to bookmark this blog post so that you can refer back to it as you are doing your planning. There may be additional ideas from fellow Ministers of Music and Worship that will work wonderfully for you as well.

Click the image above to go directly to the National Choir Appreciation Sunday facebook page

Click the image above to go directly to the National Choir Appreciation Sunday facebook page

* You can register your church’s participation in National Choir Appreciation Sunday on the official NACS facebook page, sponsored by the music distribution company J. W. Pepper, a strong supporter of Choral Music in Church Worship Ministries.

Blessings to you and to your Church and Music Ministry as you plan a special emphasis to say “thank you” to the fine people who help you share the message of God’s love and mercy through music. For more inspiration, check out our blog page entitled “Creative Worship Ideas” at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/creative-worship-ideas/
You will also find practical helps, inspiration, and helpful articles in our “Worship with Wonder” catergory of posts at:
https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

Travis and Cindy Boyd
WorshipSounds Music

Downloadable Music for your Choirs (Adult, Sr. Adult, and Youth choir music), Ensembles, Orchestra, Congregation, and Soloists
You will find our music to be very affordable, practical for use in local church ministry, Biblically sound, meaningful, and musically memorable.
* Master PDFs for Choral Anthems range from $10.00 to $15.oo, with permission given to make as many copies as needed for your Church, Christian School, or Choral Organization.
* Bundled PDFs for Anthem Orchestrations include Conductor’s Score, String reduction for keyboard, and Reproducible parts for all string, wind, and percussion (+ rhythm section lead sheet) and are priced at $25.00 or $30.00.  Again, you are authorized to print copies as needed (for your group only).
* Vocal Solo music is available at a cost of $5.00 for the PDF Master copy, with permission to print copies as needed for your soloist, accompanists, and rhythm section.
* Congregational praise music is available in the form of a Worship Pak for $10.00, which includes reproducible bulletin or hymnal sized music sheets, reproducible lead sheets for rhythm section, and the Vocal/Piano score.
* Accompaniment Tracks for both our Choral Anthems and our Vocal Solos come as a downloadable Mp3 for $10.00.

You’ll find all of this on our WorshipSounds website

http://www.worshipsounds.com

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Note:  This blog post has been featured on Worshiplinks.us (a site with the slogan, “A hand-picked collection of the best worship resources on the web”).  You can see the Worshiplinks.us article which links to this blog post at http://worshiplinks.us/2013/01/appreciation/#comment-6

Thanks, Brad!

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Old Testament Worship Scriptures

From the rising of the sun until it’s setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

OLD  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  RESOURCE

This post contains scripture verses that tell us to lift our voices in song to the Lord as well as verses that speak of praising, exalting, blessing, worshipping, magnifying, thanking, and glorifying the Lord. Verses are placed in Biblical order so that this post can be a useful resource for those who want to use the Psalms and other worship scriptures in their personal worship, as well as for those who lead God’s people in worshipping Him. More verses will be added as time permits.
(Key West photo by Herschel Avra, 2010)

Note: To view a different translation of any verse, begin typing the verse into your search engine, and the Online Parallel Bible, http://www.biblecc.com , will come up as one of the choices. You will immediately go to the page for the verse you have typed and be able to see several translations at once. You can then close the window and come right back to this resource page if desired. (Bible CC is also a great resource when you know a verse or portion of a verse but not the reference.)

New feature: With our most recent update to this worship scripture resource, we added a new feature. The Bible book and chapter are still listed before each verse, and we have now added key words in bold in front of each scripture to help you find worship scriptures with the kind of message you are seeking more easily.

SCRIPTURE VERSES THAT REFER TO PRAISING, EXALTING, WORSHIPPING, BLESSING, MAGNIFYING, AND GLORIFYING THE LORD, AS WELL AS VERSES THAT REFER TO LIFTING OUR VOICES OR SINGING TO THE LORD:

OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP SCRIPTURES

Exodus 15 sing, praise, exalt Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown in to the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
Exodus 15:1 & 2

Judges 5 sing, make melody “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.” Judges 5:3

I Chronicles 16 thanksgiving, sung Then on that day, David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brethren.” I Chronicles 16:7*
* Note: Immediately following this verse, the passage in I Chronicles 16:8 – 36 contains words from 3 Psalms. Verses 8 – 22 contain the words of Psalm 105:1 – 15. Verses 23 – 33 contain the words of Psalm 96:1 – 13. Verses 34 – 36 contain the words of Psalm 106, verses 1, and 47 – 48.

I Chronicles 29 blessed, bowed, worshipped Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and did obedience to the king.” I Chronicles 29:20

II Chronicles 20 bowed, fell, worshipped, stood to praise, sing, praise, give thanks Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God Of Israel, with a very loud voice. And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy array, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord sent an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.” II Chronicles 20:18 – 22

II Chronicles 29 song to the Lord, worshipped, singers sang, trumpeters sounded, sang praises, bowed down “The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the burnt offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. And Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.” II Chronicles 29:26 – 30

Nehemiah 12 celebrated with gladness, thanksgiving, singing, instruments “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.” Nehemiah 12:27

Nehemiah 12 chief (director) of singers, songs of praise and thanksgiving “For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.” Nehemiah 12:46

Psalm 5 woship in reverence and awe But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in reverence, and awe of You.” Psalm 5:7

Psalm 5 rejoice, sing, exult “But let all who take refuge in Thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and defend them, that those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.” Psalm 5:11

Psalm 7 give thanks, sing praises “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 7:17

Psalm 9 give thanks, exult, sing praise testify (tell) “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1 & 2

Psalm 16 bless the Lord “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:7 & 8

Psalm 18 I love You, O Lord, worthy to be praised “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shild, and the horn of my salvation, my stronglhold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and so shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1 – 3

Psalm 28 hearts trusts and exults, song of thanks “Blessed be the Lord! for He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” Psalm 28:6 & 7

Psalm 30 sing praises, give thanks Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 30:4

Psalm 32 be glad, rejoice, shout for joy Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Psalm 32:11

Psalm 33 rejoice, praise the Lord, make melody, sing a new song Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.” Psalm 33:1 – 3

Psalm 47 sing praises, with a Psalm “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a Psalm.” Psalm 47:6 & 7

Psalm 48 praise, meditation (thought) “We have thought of Thy steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Thy temple. As Thy name, O God, so Thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth.” Psalm 48:9 & 10

Psalm 50   thanks, honor (in some translations, “glorifies“)    “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”   Psalm 50:23

Psalm 51 praise “O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.” Psalm 51:15

Psalm 59 sing aloud “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.” Psalm 59:16 & 17

Psalm 63 sing for joy “You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.” Psalm 63:7

Psalm 66 make a joyful noise, sing, give glorious praise “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise!” Psalm 66:1

Psalm 67 praise, be glad, sing for joy “Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for Thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee!” Psalm 67:3 – 5

Psalm 68 be joyful, exult, be jubilant, sing praises, lift up a song “Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; His name is the Lord, exult before Him.” Psalm 68:3 & 4

Psalm 68 sing praises “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord.” Psalm 68:32

Psalm 69 praise with a song, magnify with thanksgiving I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30

Psalm 71 praise, sing, rejoice “I will praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God. Unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which Thou has redeemed.” Psalm 71:22 & 23

Psalm 72 bless the Lord, bless His name, glorify “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may His glory fill tehe whole earth! Amen and Amen!” Psalm 72:18 & 19

Psalm 75 give thanks, call on His name, recount His deeds “We give thanks to Thee, O God: we give thanks; we call on Thy name and recount Thy wondrous deeds.”
Psalm 75:1

Psalm 81 sing aloud, make a joyful noise “Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.” Psalm 81:1

Psalm 84 sing for joy “How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yea, faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Psalm 84:1 & 2

Psalm 84 singing His praise “Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise! Selah Psalm 84:4

Psalm 86 bow down, glorify Your name, give thanks All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.” Psalm 86:9 – 12

Psalm 86 praise, glorify “I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify Thy name forevermore.” Psalm 86:12

Psalm 89 sing, make known “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness in all generations.” Psalm 89:1

Psalm 89 praise “The heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord; Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.” Psalm 89:5

Psalm 92 give thanks, sing praises, demonstrate His kindness and faithfulness “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.” Psalm 92:1 & 2

Psalm 95 sing, make a joyful noise, come before Him with thanksgiving and Psalms “O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” Psalm 95:1 – 7a

Psalm 96 sing, bless His name, show His salvation, declare His glory and wonders, greatly to be praised “O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 96:1 – 4a

Psalm 96 give glory and strength, give glory due His name, bring an offering, come, worship in the beauty of holiness “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘ Psalm 96:6 – 9

Psalm 97 rejoice, give thanks, remember “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.” Psalm 97:12

Psalm 98 sing a new song “O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he has done marvelous things; His right hand and His Holy arm have gotten the victory.” Psalm 98:1

Psalm 98 make a joyful noise, loud noise, rejoice, sing praise, with instruments and psalm “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with a harp, with a harp and the voice of a psalm.” Psalm 98:4 & 5

Psalm 99 exalt, woship “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is Holy.” Psalm 99:5

Psalm 99 exalt, worship “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His Holy hill; for the Lord our God is Holy.” Psalm 99:9

Psalm 100 make a joyful noise, serve with gladness, come with singing, enter with thanksgiving and praise, be thankful, bless His name “Make a joyful moise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come fefore His presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)

Psalm 101 sing of mercy and judgment, sing to Thee “I will sing of mercy and judgement; unto Thee, O Lord, will I sing.” Psalm 101:1

Psalm 102 that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord, declare His name, worship Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn* may praise the Lord:
That He looked down from His Holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
To hear the groans of the prisoners,
To set free those who were doomed to die:
That men may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
And in Jerusalem, His praise,
When peoples and kingdoms gather together
To worship the Lord. ”
Psalm 102:18 – 22

*(or, yet to be created)

Psalm 104 sing as long as I live, sing praise, meditation on Him, be glad in the Lord “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.” Psalm 104:33 & 34

Psalm 105 give thanks, call upon His name, make Him known, sing unto Him, sing Psalms, glory in His name, rejoice, speak of Him “O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” Psalm 105:1 – 3

Psalm 106 praise, give thanks “Praise ye the Lord; O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all His praise?” Psalm 106:1 & 2

Psalm 106 blessed, Amen, praise “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!” Psalm 106:48

Psalm 107 thanksgiving, songs of joy “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!” Psalm 107:21 & 22

Psalm 107 praise, exalt “Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” Psalm 107:31 & 32

Psalm 108 sing, make melody, give thanks, sing praises, be exalted, glory My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great above the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 108:1 – 5

Psalm 109 give great thanks, praise Him With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng.” Psalm 109:30

Psalm 111 praise, give thanks Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1

Psalm 111 reverential awe (fear of the Lord), praise The reverential awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” Psalm 111:10

Psalm 112 praise, delight Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments!” Psalm 112:1

Psalm 113 praise, bless Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.” Psalm 113:1 – 4

Psalm 115 give glory to His name “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory, for the sake of Thy steadfast love and Thy faithfulness!” Psalm 115:1

Psalm 115 bless, praise The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 115: 15 & 16

Psalm 117 praise, extol Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us; and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 117:1 & 2 (all verses)

Psalm 118 songs of victory, exalt His strength “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” Psalm 118:14 – 16

Psalm 135 praise, sing “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing to His name, for He is gracious!” Psalm 135:3

Psalm 145 praise His greatness, greatly to be praised “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3

Psalm 146 praise as long as I have being “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.” Psalm 146:1 & 2

Psalm 147 praise, sing praises “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our god; for He is gracious, and a song of praise is comely.” Psalm 147:1

Psalm 147 sing with thanksgiving, make melody with instruments “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God upon the lyre.” Psalm 147:7

Psalm 147 praise, sing a new song “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful!” Psalm 149:1

Psalm 150 praise, praise His greatness, praise with instruments and dance, let everything that has breath praise the Lord Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:1 – 6 (all verses)

Isaiah 12give thanks, proclaim, sing “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.” Isaiah 12:4-5

Isaiah 24 lift up voices, sing for joy, glory, praise They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord: in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. Isaiah 24:14 – 16a

Isaiah 25 exalt, praise O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and true.” Isaiah 25:1

Isaiah 27 sing In that day: ‘A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest any one harm it, I guard it night and day.'”
Isaiah 27:2 & 3

Isaiah 27 worshipAnd in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:13

Isaiah 35 singing, joy, gladness “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10

Isaiah 42 sing a new song, praise, lift up, sing for joy, shout, give glory, declare praise “Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of the earth! Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. Let the desert and it’s cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:10 – 12

Jeremiah 31 sing aloud, raise shouts, proclaim, give praise, be radiant For thus says the Lord: ‘Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “The Lord has saved His people, the remnant of Israel.”…They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord…'” Isaiah 31:7, 12a

Daniel 4 praise, extol Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to abase.” Daniel 4:37

Zephaniah 3 sing aloud, rejoice, exult, HE will rejoice, renew, & sing over you “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, He has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
‘Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands go weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love: He will exult over you with loud singing, as on a day of festival.'” Zephaniah 3:14 -18a

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The scriptures in this post were compiled by Cynthia A. Boyd for our page entitled “Lift Your Voice (Worship Scriptures)”, which contains worship scriptures for both the New and Old Testaments.  We decided to publish the scriptures in separate Old and New Testament posts to make it easier to view the New Testament worship scriptures without having to scroll through the Old Testament scriptures first and to make it easier to find this resource on search engines.  It is our hope that having 3 separate entries (2 posts and one page) appearing in web searches will result in allowing more people to find and utilize this resource.

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Walking in Worship

What does it mean to walk in worship, and how does that differ from having an attitude of praise?  What should be our motivation for seeking to walk in worship?  This article seeks to answer those questions through a brief study of related scriptures and what they mean to us in our daily lives as worshippers of God.  These are exciting truths from God’s word!  What an awesome thought to realize that our eternally loving and supremely powerful God wants to walk through life with me!

(Note:  This article was first published in the online magazine ChurchMag (see link at the end of this post.) +

"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him."  Col. 2:6

(++  See photo credit and location information at the end of this article.)

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”
~  Colossians 2:6

GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE AND WORSHIP

There are many verses in the Bible which speak of praising the Lord and also give some of the reasons why we praise Him.

“Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!  Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more!  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!  The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory is above the heavens.”    Psalm 113:1 – 4

From the rising of the sun until its setting…from the beginning of your day until the end…in every waking moment, the name of the Lord is to be praised.  The Lord is always worthy of praise.  In the verse above, the servants of the Lord are reminded of His supremacy over all nations and His unsurpassed and eternal gloryHe is worthy!

“I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.”   Psalm 59:16 & 17

He is all powerful!  He is our defense and our refuge.  He is our strength and the God of our mercy.  God is worthy of our praise!   The Psalmist’s expression of praise through singing to Him at the beginning of the day is in response to the ultimate and supreme worth of our God.

“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.  I keep the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”   Psalm 16:7 & 8

He is our counsellor and the guide and guardian of our hearts.  He is near to those who call upon Him, at our right hand, even during the night.  He gives us the strength to stand firm.  He is worthy!

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works.  Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”   Psalm 105:1 – 3

His works are wondrous; He is available when we call upon His name; His deeds are praiseworthy; He is Holy.  What an awesome God we serve!  He is worthy of praise!

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.”   Psalm 92:1 & 2

He is full of lovingkindness.  He is faithful.  It is a good thing to praise and thank Him!  He is worthy of our praise!

“But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in reverence, and awe of You.”  Psalm 5:7

Because of His steadfast love for us, God allows us to enter His presence.  Our response is worship…reverence…and awe.   He is worthy of our awe and reverence!  He is worthy of our praise!  He is worthy of worship…in every waking moment!

The eternal God of Creation, the God who saves us with His might and His mercy, the Holy and Righteous Judge, the Lamb of God who gave Himself for us, the Holy Spirit of comfort and conviction, the Lord of all and above all, our awesome God who is three in One, our loving Father God who embraces us in our sorrows and keeps every tear, our tender Shepherd…

He is all of this and more!  He is worthy of our reverence and awe.  He is worthy of our expressions of praise.  He is worthy of a continual attitude of worship. 

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Praise, by its very nature, must be expressed.  It is an expression of appreciation at a moment in time.  If I think of a compliment but have not expressed it, I have not praised the person who motivated the positive thought.  In the above verses, the Psalmists write of expressing praise through singing to God, blessing His holy name, thanking Him, entering His house, talking of His wondrous works, and making His deeds known.  Expressions of praise listed in other verses include magnifying the name of the Lord and exalting Him, giving Him glory and honor, playing instruments for His praise, dancing and shouting in praise, clapping and raising our hands in praise, and giving tithes and offerings as an act of worship.  Many of these expressions of praise are outward expressions and are done in public or within the congregation and family.  However, since God knows our hearts, He also knows when our hearts are praising Him.  Within the congregation, those expressions of praise become outward as we join our hearts and our voices with those of other Christians.  When it is appropriate and wise to do so, at the prompting of God’s Spirit, we also express our praise of God to others we encounter in our daily lives.  When our hearts and minds become so focused on the Lord that we are continually bringing to mind all that He is and all that He has done and then praising Him in response, we are living in an attitude of praise before the Lord.  He receives our praise whether is is spoken or demonstrated in the presence of others or whether it is spoken directly from our hearts to Him.

Worship can include all of the inward and outward expressions of praise already mentioned, but worship goes much farther in permeating our lives and being expressed through the way that we live our lives.  The very idea of worship is that God is worthy of all that we have to give.  True worship involves the commitment of all that we are and every part of our lives, focused on living in such a way that our lives will ultimately bring glory to God (as He empowers us to live for His glory… even in the giving of all that we are, we cannot out-give God!).  When we have recognized all that He is and all that He has done, to the extent that our finite human minds can do so, our intentions change.  We commit ourselves fully to God and begin to seek to glorify Him in response to all that He has done for us.  As we grow in Christ, God’s spirit reveals to our hearts that we must intentionally express His worth and His supremacy by seeking to bring Him glory in all that we are and all that we do (with His help).*

A LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP

“If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”  Rom 14:8

“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”  IICor. 5:15

As God has been willing to personally come to Earth and give Himself in the person of Christ to live a life that demonstrated the grace and glory of God, ultimately choosing to die as a sacrifice for our sins and then be raised to eternal life as a seal and a promise of God’s saving work in human hearts, we must also be willing to give ourselves sacrificially.  This is our spiritual gift of worship to the One who has given His all for us.

““I appeal to you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  Romans 12:1

This intentional giving over of all of life to God for the purpose of bringing Him glory is true worship.  It is an attitude of the heart and mind and a commitment of the life that is acceptable to God.  Paul says that our commitment to live as a sacrifice to honor the Lord is holy.  His presence and His help in following through with our commitment (to bring Him glory in all that we do, say, and think) allows us to grow in our expression of His worth, becoming more like Christ.  Whatever we are doing or thinking or saying, we are learning to live in an attitude of worship, seeking to express the infinite worth of God through our lives.*  Several times in scripture, a person is referred to as someone who “walked with God”.  Enoch, for example is described as a man who walked with God in Genesis 5:22 & 24.  Noah is also spoken of as a man who walked with God in Genesis 6:9.  In I Kings 8:25, the prayer of Solomon is that God would keep His promise to David, “Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.'”  In some translations, the words ‘habitual’ or ‘faithful’ are used in these verses to further clarify the meaning of “walking with God”.  Such a testimony of faithfulness in walking with God requires that the intentions and desires of our hearts and the focus of our lives must be in seeking to bring glory to God.

HELP FOR THE JOURNEY

God knows that we cannot be faithful in walking with Him in an intentional and habitual attitude of worship on our own.  He knows that we need His help, His guidance, His strength, and His mercy and forgiveness.  That is why we have a Savior, and that is why we need His Spirit to indwell our hearts and lives.  God knows that we need reminders of who He is and that we must be intentional in seeking to bring glory to Him through our lives.  Consider this instruction from Deuteronomy 6:4 – 9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

God knows that we need the reminder of seeing His word before us, even to the extent that we should have verses about who God is on our walls and above our doors.  Although this is an Old Testament scripture and refers in some instances to the significant items of clothing worn by the children of Israel, God’s admonition to His people was that they would intentionally place reminders of God’s love and faithfulness wherever they would be seen, as reminders to live an intentional life of loving and serving God with all of their heart, soul, and strength. These reminders would focus their attention on the Lord so that they would talk about Him as they got up in the morning, continue to talk and think about Him (and seek Him) when they would lie down at night and when they walked throughout their day.  In another passage, Deuteronomy 11:18 – 21, which is almost identical**, this admonition is made:  “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds…”  Or, as we read in Colossians 3:16 & 17, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

WALKING IN WORSHIP

When we become intentional in choosing to seek to live a life that honors God in every moment, we are living a lifestyle of worship and walking with God.  This kind of choice to walk in worship goes far beyond the expressions of praise that we often refer to as worship.  Praise is good thing.  We must always seek to praise God because He is good, and He is worthy of our praise.  However, expressions of praise can be tied to our feelings and our desires.  We often say or express in our thoughts a “Praise the Lord” when something happens that we are happy about.  Such expressions can become habit without thought.  However, walking in worship requires thought.  It requires our intention to do far more than just train ourselves to say and do the right things.  Walking in worship requires staying in close relationship with God through Christ, trusting Him to guide and help us, and seeking to intentionally live in such a way that our lives bring glory to Him.  Where we fail, God’s mercy upholds us.  And, as we learn to increasingly rely on Him, walking with Him, we are walking in worship.

“Make a joyful moise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness; come fefore His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord is God; it is He that has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good:  His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”   Psalm 100 (all verses, 1 – 5)

+  Link to this article, published in the online magazine ChurchMag :  http://churchm.ag/walking-in-worship/#more-79882

++ PHOTO  CREDIT  AND  LOCATION:  The photograph used in this blog post was also used in the ChurchMag article.  Taken by Cynthia Boyd in the Spring of 2012, the photo is of the tranquil path leading to a garden pond behind the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

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* These paragraphs contain words and thoughts based upon both Col. 3:16 & 17 and on John Piper’s definition of worship.  This definition is found in the devotion titled  ”Bodies, Breakfast, and the Marriage Bed”  and subtitled  “A Meditation on Daily Worship”.
You can read the complete devotion at this link:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/bodies-breakfast-and-the-marriage-bed

** The companion passage, Deuteronomy 11:18 – 21, in it’s entirety:  Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.   Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Worthy of Praise!

  No  one  else  can  bring  MY  praise  but  ME !

– quoted from a worship song
published by Prism Music

WHAT  IS  PRAISE?

Here’s a definition:

1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of personal worth or actions.

2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works.

3. To express gratitude for personal favors.

4. To give honor; to commend and display the excellence of

THE NATURE OF PRAISE

Praise, according to the Scriptures, is an act of our will that flows out of an awe and reverence for our Creator.   Praise is an expression of the truth about who God is and what He has done.  Praise expresses truth about Jesus, our wonderful Savior.  We are essentially coming into agreement with the truth when we praise the Lord.  Praise gives glory to God and opens us up to a deeper union with Him.  It turns our attention off of our problems and on the nature and character of God Himself.  As we focus our minds on God and proclaim His goodness, we reflect His glory back to Him.  The results can fill you with peace and contentment ( Isaiah 26:3) and transform your outlook on life.  Our God is worthy of praise, and statements of praise are found throughout Scripture.

WHO  SHOULD  PRAISE  THE  LORD?

Angels.   “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.”    Ps 103:20

The saints.  “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.”    Ps 30:4

The Nations.  “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people.”    Ps 117:1

The Children.  “And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them,” Yea; have ye never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise’?””    Mt 21:16

People of every station in life, young and old.  “Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth!   Young men and maidens together, old men and children!  Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above Earth and Heaven.   Ps 148:11 – 13

All of Creation.  “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD!”    Ps 150:6

NO one is without excuse.  Praising the Lord is a command.  It is our purpose.  God created us with the capacity to recognize His majesty and supremacy, to respond to His love and mercy, and to praise Him for all that He is and for all that He has done.

REASONS TO PRAISE

Very simply, we praise God because He is worthy of our praise (1 Chron. 16:25; Rev. 5:11-14). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Creator, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Judge, Defender and much more.

Another foundational reason to praise God is simple obedience. The Bible says God is a “jealous” God who demands and desires our praise. “You shall have no other gods before Me,” says the first commandment (Deut. 6:7). As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).

As we praise God, we will discover incredible benefits for our lives.  That’s because human beings were created by God to praise Him (Isa. 43:7, Matt. 21:16).  Due to man’s original sin,  however, this relationship was disrupted.  Praising God helps restore us to that right relationship, for God actually dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As we draw near to the Father in praise, He draws near to us (James 4:8).

Praise is also our ultimate destiny.  When the Lord Jesus Christ returns again to earth, all creation — including prideful mankind — will recognize His glory and praise Him. (Phil. 2:9-11)

HOW  ARE  WE  TO  PRAISE  THE  LORD?

WITH UNDERSTANDING   “For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”    Ps 47:7

WITH THE SOUL   “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”    Ps 103:1

WITH THE WHOLE HEART    “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvellous works.”    Ps 9:1

WITH THE LIPS    “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.”    Ps 63:3

WITH THE MOUTH    “O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.”    Ps 51:15

WITH JOY    “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips.”    Ps 63:5

WITH GLADNESS    “Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer.  And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.”     2 Chron 29:30

WITH THANKFULNESS    “Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.”    Ps 147:7

CONTINUALLY    “By Thee have I been held up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s body: my praise shall be continually of thee.”    Ps 71:6

TO THE END OF LIFE    “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”    Ps 104:33

MORE AND MORE    “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more.”    Ps 71:14

Our God plans and does all things well!  Praise the Lord!

WHAT  ARE  SOME  SPECIFIC  ACTS  AND  ATTRIBUTES  FOR  WHICH  WE  CAN  PRAISE  THE  LORD?

Praise Him for Who He is!

1.  For His comfort…Isaiah 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3
2.  For His compassion…Psalm 28-6; 2, Corinthians 1:3
3.  For His enduring faithfulness…Psalm 117:1-2
“O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”   Isaiah 25:1
4.  For His enduring love…Psalm 106:1
5.  Because He is eternal…Nehemiah 9:5
6.  Because of God’s excellency…Ps 148:13
“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”
7.  Because of God’s Glory…Ps 138:5
“Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.”
8.  Because of God’s goodness…Ps 107:8,15,21, & 31
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
9.  Because of God’s greatness…Ps 145:3
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”
10.  Because He is holy…Psalm 99:3,
“Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”   Ex 15:11
11.  Because He is in control…Ezra 7:27
12.  Because of God’s loving-kindness and truth…Ps 138:2
“I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.”
13.  Because of God’s mercy…2Ch 20:21
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, that they should praise the beauty of His holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, ‘Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever’.”
14.  Because He is powerful and mighty…Psalm 21:13
Be Thou exalted, LORD, in Thine own strength: so will we sing and praise Thy power.”
15.  Because of His righteousness…Psalm 48:10
16.  Because He is sovereign..Psalm 47:7; 66:4
17.  Because of His splendor and majesty…Psalm 104:1
“They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.”   Isa 24:14
18.  Because of His wisdom…Daniel 2:20
“Daniel answered and said, ‘Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His.'”
19.  Because He is trustworthy…Psalm 56:4
20.  Because He is worthy of praise…2 Samuel 22:4; 1 Chronicles 16:25; Psalm 48:1
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Praise Him for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do!
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1.  For bearing our burdens…Psalm 68:19
2.  For forgiving our sins…Hosea 14:2; Ephesians 1:7
3.  For giving us salvation…Psalm 96:2; 1 Peter 1:3-6
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.”  Luke 1:68 & 69
4.  For giving us his strength…Psalm 59:17;68-35
5.  For His creation
6.  For His guidance…Psalm 16:7
7.  For hearing our prayers…Psalm 66:20
8.  Because He keeps his promises…1 Kings 8:15, 56
9.  Because He made us
For His marvelous deeds…Psalms 9:1 and 72:18
10.  Because He is preparing a glorious future for us…Isaiah 61:11; 62:7-9; Revelation, chapters 21-22
11.  For his spritual blessings…Ephesians 1:3-6
12.  Because of God’s wonderful works: Ps 150:2 Psalms 107:8, 15, 21
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Our God never tires as we do, and He never gives up as we are tempted to do.  He loves us with an everlasting love, and His mersies are new every morning!  What a wonderful God we have!
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Praise Him for His mighty acts: Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”   Ps 150:2
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NOTE:  This post was compiled and edited, with the addition of a minimal amount of original content, from these three sources:
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http://www.momof9splace.com/praise1.html
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http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/cbnteachingsheets/keys-praise.aspx

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Encouragement

For people of all ages, encouragement is a welcome and affirming blessing. Any time that someone makes an effort to say something positive, it can uplift the spirit. A compliment or an observation of a valued charactar trait can change the direction of someone’s life. Be an encourager to those around you! You will never regret speaking a kind word or letting someone know of your appreciation or admiration. Children need loving and specific words of encouragement to nourish their spirits and to guide them. Your words of encouragement will be remembered and cherished by your children.

Below, you will find some suggestions for encouragement, some scriptures about encouraging others, and a link to a post about finding personal encouragement in God’s Word.

Here are some compliment and encouragement categories and some suggested specifics to look for in encouraging others:

Character and Christlikeness

Kindness
Compassion
Gentleness
Discipline
Self-Control
Calmness
Serenity
Faithfulness
Trustworthiness
Loving actions and attitudes
Joyfulness
Unselfishness
Patience
Wisdom
Humor
Cheerfulnes
Dependability
Perseverance

Gifts and Abilities

Whether gifts and abilities are athletic, artistic, journalistic, mechanical, musical, intellectual, practical, useful or aethetic, there are some common positives to encourage as others develop and use what God has given.

* Time invested in practice, rehearsal, or otherwise developing and refining one’s gifts and abilities
* Perseverance during times when it is difficult to continue using one’s gifts and abilities
* An attitude of generosity and acknowledgement concerning the gifts and abilities of others
* Using gifts and abilities to benefit others and to bring glory to God

Personal Appearance and Grooming

There are many areas of appearance and grooming over which people have no control, so it is often good to consider the effort that someone puts into trying to look their best with what they have. This is the trickiest category for complimenting and encouraging, but an appropriate compliment is always welcome.

* Color: “That color looks great on you” or “… brings out the color of eyes/hair”, pleasing eye or hair color, color of clothing or accessories, even nail polish
* Cut / fit: “That outfit looks so good on you.” (probably one of the safest)
* Style: remarks about liking specifics such as a buckle or the cut of a collar or sleeve, the shape of a handbag, or the length and shaping of a haircut
* Hair: nice haircut or style, color, the healthy or shiny look of hair
* Complexion/Face: Complimenting a smile is always good! Also, healthy complexion, beautiful eyes, well-applied make-up
* Body/weight: a generic compliment saying that someone is looking healthy or looking trim and fit can be appropriate in some circumstances. Telling someone they “look great today” when they have obviously taken pains to look their best is a validation of their efforts. NOTE: This is one area of appearance that warrants caution regarding what to compliment. Always think through what you wish to say and make sure that it is appropriate.

Here is what the Bible has to say about encouragement:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Peter 4:8-10

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:25

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Galatians 6:2

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

1 Thessalonians 5:14

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Acts 15:32

And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Ephesians 4:12

To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.

* Note: All of the above scriptures are from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible. They were copied from the following web page: http://www.openbible.info/topics/encouraging_each_other (and then edited by the author of this post).

Are you looking for personal encouragement?

Here is a blog post with scriptures to encourage your own heart: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-for-encouragement-20-great-scripture-quotes/

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This post was written and compiled by C. Boyd

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Lifting Up His Name!

Psalm 107:8

“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 7:17

What does is really mean to praise the name of the Lord?  In order to praise Him in Spirit and in truth, we must have some knowledge about Who He is.  In other words, we must know the truth about God to some extent in order to be able to offer genuine praise that flows from a heart of gratittude.  In the scripture verse above, the Psalmist acknowledges the righteousness of God, His Lordship, and the fact that He is the Most High God, Lord over all.  The thankful heart of the Psalmist results from knowing that God is good.  He is righteous.  He is the Most High.  As a result of this knowledge and relationship, the Psalmist feels that he has an obligation to respond appropriately to God’s goodness and supremacy.   The Psalmist gives thanks to the Lord and sings praise to His Name based upon revealed truth and what that truth means to him.

Similarly, a child reaches a point when he has grown up enough to recognize the sacrifices his parents are making and have made on him behalf, resulting in his desire to thank his parents and to be good to them in turn.   We are part of our biological or adopted family, the children of our earthly parents.  We carry their name and their hopes and dreams, as well as their investment into our lives, for the remainder of our years.  With maturity comes the acknowledgement that everything about the way the we live impacts all of those around us.     We praise our parents and others who have had an impact on our lives not just for what they have done on our behalf but for who they are and the fact that they truly love us and have our best interests at heart.  Our lives bear the fruit and the image of their sacrifice.

In thinking about our lives in relationship to God, the fact that He desires relationship with us is amazing!   The fact that He is good and acts on our behalf is fantastic!  The fact that He would give Himself for us is miraculously magnificent!  What should be our response ot such an awesome, loving, and merciful God?  Consider the worship quote below.

Worship quote:

“Worship is discovering and declaring the magnificence of God, not just by our image-bearing and not just in sacramental acts, but the way we breathe every breath, take in every sight, hear every sound, and move as image-bearers through every day.”

( The quote above is from http://marshill.com/2011/04/17/what-worship-is )

The term “image bearers” in the worship quote above is a reminder to me of the true meaning of one of the Ten Commandments. When preparing to teach a Sunday School lesson several years ago, I learned that the definition of the word that has been translated as “take” in the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” is “to bear or to carry.” This expanded my understanding of what God was telling us to do and not to do in a way that is more profound than the very true teaching that we must have reverence for God’s name and only use His name in a way that is honorable. In addition, we are the carriers of His name. We take, or bear, or carry, the name of God with us wherever we are as Christians. So, the commandment is telling us to be very aware of our witness and testimony, making sure that we do not bring shame or reproach to the name of God through our actions, words, or attitudes. To do so would be to carry His name in vain because of the fact that all of our efforts for the Kingdom would not bear fruit as they should in the lives of others. If we have compromised our testimony to such a great extent that our efforts are in vain, this is a very serious situation; but I believe that it does not have to be a permanent one. God’s forgiveness and mercy are always there for us. Every day is a new beginning.  God’s infinite investment of love and mercy in our lives is worthy of our best image-bearing (carrying His name in such a way that our lives bring Him glory).  Today, with God’s help, may we carrry His name and the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in such a way that His glory is seen, not only in our best efforts, but even in our imperfection that has been surrendered to Him. That is worship, dear friends.

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–  This post was written by C. Boyd

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The worship scriptures used in this post can be found on our Worship Scripture Page called “Lift Your Voice” at http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lift-your-voice/

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The worship quote used in this posts can be found in our post called “Worship:  Definitions and Quotations” at this link:  WORSHIP:  Definitions and Quotations

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading this devotional post.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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What’s New? Check out our website!

WORSHIP JOYFULLY!

Our newest anthems, “For the Glory of God” and “For the Sins of All” are available on our WorshipSounds Music Website,

http://www.worshipsounds.com

*   “For the Glory of God”  is an joyful, upbeat anthem of praise!
A full orchestration is available for this anthem!

*   “For the Sins of All”  is a meaningful reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus and His victory over sin and death, meeting our need for a Savior and fulfilling God’s great plan.
    A full orchestration is also available for this anthem!

Check out our website re-design!
We now have VIDEO DEMOS that allow you to SEE AND HEAR THE MUSIC  with no scrolling!
The video does the scrolling for you!

WE’VE  ADDED  A  NEW  SOLO  WITH DOWNLOADABLE  ACCOMPANIMENT  TRACK!
Our touching anthem, “A Mother’s Love”  is now available in a solo versio, in your choice of 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High voice.  It’s perfect for Mother’s Day or for a baby Dedication.  It would also work well to be sung for a special Mom’s birthday, for a Mother’s Day gathering, or for honoring a special Mom anytime or at a family reunion.  When you purchase the solo music, you are given permission to print copies as needed for your soloists and accompanists or rhythm section.
NOTE:  Add the obbligato parts for flute (or violin) and cello to the piano accompaniment for “A Mother’s Love”  to make it extra special (or, purchase our accompaniment track).  The instrumental parts are available at no charge when you purchase the Anthem or Solo PDF Master but must be ordered separately from our shopping cart.
This actually saves you money since you won’t be reprinting the obbligati with each anthem or solo … less pages to copy!

Check out all of our changes at http://www.worshipsounds.com  !!!

YOU’LL   LOVE   OUR  NEW  VIDEO  DEMOS  !

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!  Praise befits the upright.  Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings!  Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.”
Psalm 33:1 – 3

He is worthy of our highest praise…For the Glory of God!

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

 

WORSHIP…it’s all about Giving!

The one true God,
the Creator of all that is,
has given to us everything that we have ever known.

Our lives,
our very breath,
our families,
our gifts and talents,
our earthly home,
sunshine and rain,
all of creation,
the capacity to love and be loved,
our minds and bodies,
our eternal souls,
His great love and mercy,
salvation,
and even His only Son

… all these are given to us from the hand of God the Father, the maker of Heaven and Earth.   What do we have that we can give to him?   Can any gift from the created ones be of value to the Creator of all that is?   After all, what do you give to the One who has absolutely everything?

God has shown us His eternal and pure love through the giving of all that He is. 
He has given us His message, the Word, both in the form of the scriptures and in the form of the Living Word, Jesus;  He has given His creativity, order, power, brilliance and majesty in Creation; He has given His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and patience in allowing us to choose whether to love and serve Him.  He has given us new life and purpose and an eternal home in Heaven through the gift of salvation.   He has given us His only Son, the most precious gift ever given, when we, as the recipients of this gift, were lost in sin and ugliness and the filth of selfishness.

As we think about the giving and loving nature of God, it follows that if God is our model for giving, there are certain facts that are always evident about the kinds of gifts that truly make a difference.

First of all, His giving is sacrificial to an extent that we are unable to fully comprehend.

Secondly, His giving always has our best interests at heart.

 Thirdly, God is ever present in His giving.

*  He gave us the earth as our temporary home, but he sustains it so that this life can continue according to His plan

*  He gave us himself in the person of His Son, God with us, Emmanuel.

*  He gives us salvation and comes to live within us.

With every gift, God also gives Himself.  If we are to give a gift that has meaning and value to Him, we must also be very present in the giving, not just for a moment in time but for a lifetime.  Though none of us will be able to perfectly fulfill the goal of giving our all to the Lord, we must press on and continue, with God’s help, to focus upon Him and diligently seek Him, striving to grow in our relationship with Him and to surrender all that we are to Him day by day and moment by moment.

What does the Bible have to say about our giving and how we must be present in the gift, in other words, giving ourselves? 

From Romans 12:1 & 2, the meaning is abundantly clear:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Because of God’s mercy, we know that He is good.  Our response to His goodness (as it has been revealed through His choice to show mercy) should then be (according to this scripture) our true and proper
(in some translations, “reasonable”) worship:
the giving of ourselves.

This is to be a sacrificial gift, and yet we are allowed to continue living this earthly life.  We become living sacrifices, giving up our own will for His good, pleasing, and perfect will.  We allow Him to transform us through His Spirit.  As our mind is renewed, we gain some level of understanding of His purpose and His will for our lives.  As we give ourselves to Him, all that we are is changed and made new.  (II Corinthians 5:17  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”)  This new, spirit life within us causes us to want to live in a manner that brings honor and glory to the Lord, and this desire changes the focus of our lives.  We are no longer focused exclusively upon self and the world as it relates to our selves.  Instead, we begin to become aware that all that we think, say, and do has eternal importance.  Though we will never achieve perfection in this earthly life, we still seek to give to the Lord an intentional living sacrifice with every choice that we make.  We have the power of God through his Holy Spirit within us to help us follow through with our commitment to live for God’s glory, so we do not have to strive in our own strength.  We are to live as to the Lord, and not unto men.  (See Colossians 3:23 & 24)

When the very living of our lives has become an act of worship, recognizing God’s supremacy and worth in every decision and thought, worship is no longer an action but rather a lifestyle.  It’s a 24 / 7 / 365 … every moment of every day … goal of intentionally expressing God’s glory in all that we do, think, and say.**   In living out this lifestyle and this heart commitment to the One who has given us His all, we give the only gift that we can give to our Creator and Savior:  the gift of a transformed life that brings Him glory and joy!

CORPORATE  WORSHIP  AND  GIVING…

What about when we come together to worship the Lord?   How will we give to Him a time of focused worship that is meaningful and reverent, joyful and celebratory, and based upon what we read in the Bible about the types of giving that should characterize a gathering of God’s people for the purpose of worshipping Him together?  What are some of the Biblical references that could be applied to our efforts to give of ourselves to the Lord through worship?

1.  We are to give God THANKSGIVING and PRAISE!

* Psalm 100:4   “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

* Psalm 9:1 & 2   “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.”

2.  We are to give God GLORY!

(or, glorify Him)

* Psalm 86:12   “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

3.  We are to give God AWE and REVERENCE, acknowledging Him as the Lord and Creator of all.

(In some verses and some translations, “the fear of the Lord”)

* Psalm 111:10   “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

* Psalm 86:9 – 12   “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

4.  We are to give God BLESSING.  (Bless the Lord, bless the name of the Lord)

* Psalm 103:22   “Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

* Psalm 28:6 & 7   “Blessed be the Lord!  for He has heard the voice of my supplications.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”

5.  We are to give Him EXALTATION!*  (or exalt Him, exalt His name)

From the www.thefreedictionary.com, here are the applicable definitions:

1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc.
2. to praise highly; glorify; extol
* Psalm 34:3   “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

*NOTE:  The word ‘exaltation’ sometimes gets confused with ‘exultation’, for which the definition is “to rejoice greatly, be jubilant or triumphant (or, as in triumph.  We rejoice greatly in His triumph.)  — same source

6.  We are to give Him SERVICE (giving of our hearts, our time, our gifts, and our lives in serving Him)

* Joshua 24:15   “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Lift up His name!

7.  We are to give Him WORSHIP!

True worship rises up from the people of God, who are choosing to intentionally express His infinite worth! **

**(see note at end of post)

You have probably noticed by now that there is some overlap in the various types of giving to the Lord.  For example, in singing praise to God, we can bless His name.  In the worship category of giving, there is overlap with all other types of giving.  All of these ways of giving to the Lord are worship (lifestyle worship) when we are giving with the purpose of bringing glory to God and expressing His infinite worth through giving our best to God in every area of our lives.

* Psalm 29:2   “Honor the LORD for the glory of His name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”

* Phillippians 3:3   “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

John 4:24   “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

8.  We are to SING UNTO HIM!

* Psalm 5:11   “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.”

* Psalm 30:4   “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”

* Psalm 59:16 & 17   “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.”   Psalm 59:16 & 17“I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense , and the God of my mercy.”

9.  We are to give Him TITHES and OFFERINGS!

* Malachi 3:10   “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

* Exodus 35:29   “The children of Israel brought a voluntary offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart prompted them to bring for all manner of work, which Jehovah, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”

10.  We are to give Him HONOR!

* Revelation 4:11   “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

* Proverbs 3:9   “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.”

Just as we would honor a guest in our home by seeking to serve our best meal and prepare diligently so that all will be able to enjoy the best time of fellowship, we choose to give unto the Lord the best of all that we are and all that we have for His honor.   We honor the Lord by giving, just as He has chosen to honor us by seeking fellowship with us and reaching out to us through the gift of His very best.

Psalm 8:3 – 5  

When I consider Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place,

what is man that You are mindful of him,

the son of man that You care for him?

You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beingsc

and crowned him with glory and honor.”

11.  We are to give Him LOVE!

The words of Jesus Himself in Mark 12:30   “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.”

* Psalm 31:23   “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.”

* Joshua 22:5   “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

* Psalm 116:1   “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.”

Give Him your heart

12.  We are to give Him OUR WHOLE HEART AND LIFE!

* I Chronicles 28:9   “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”

* Psalm 86:9 – 12    “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

* Colossians 1:10   “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

* Psalm 56:13   “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

* Mark 8:35   “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”

In demonstration of His infinite love for us, God continues to give.
In response to our efforts to give, He gives again in return.  It is impossible to give more of ourselves that He gives of Himself.  For God and for Jesus, demonstrating perfect love for us has been, is now, and will always be about giving.  For us, in giving to God honor, blessing, exaltation, thanksgiving, praise, glory, awe and reverence, love, honor, service, tithes and offerings, songs, and all that we are in life and in our hearts is our gift of worship and devotion to Him.  Again, he responds with more giving.  He gives His presence in response to true worship, and all Heaven breaks loose!  The Bible is full of promises for those who will give to the Lord their all.
Giving is about worship, and worship is all about giving.

“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘   Psalm 96:6 – 9

GOD HAS GIVEN HIS ALL…may we follow His example.

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**Here is a link to John Piper’s devotion where this definition of worship, paraphrased here, can be found:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/bodies-breakfast-and-the-marriage-bed

The wording of the original definition (directly quoted) in the first paragraph of this devotion is as follows:

“Worship” is the term we use to cover all the acts of the heart and mind and body that intentionally express the infinite worth of God. This is what we were created for, as God says in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory…” That means that we were all created for the purpose of expressing the infinite worth of God’s glory. We were created to worship.”

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This post was written by C. Boyd.

For other posts on worship, view our category called “Worship with Wonder” at https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

We also have a page entitled “Lifestyle Worship”  at this link:  http://wwwworshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship

The titles of additional pages related to worship ministry (on topics such as creative worship ideas, worship planning and preparation, and avoiding burnout in ministry) can be found in the header on our home page at the bottom of the scenic photo.

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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WORSHIP in the New Testament

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Matthew 26:30

We know from Romans 12:1 & 2 that worship involves more than just the corporate gathering of God’s people.  Giving glory to God through the way the we live all of life should be the motivation for all we do as believers (lifestyle worship).  We also know that, according to Hebrews 10:25, God has set a priority on meeting together regularly.  Certainly, though we are to worship God intentionally every day as we seek to glorify Him in all that we say and do, corporate worship remains very important.  So, what can we glean from various scriptures regarding what took place in the earliest days of the church; and how do these truths apply to us today as individual worshippers and as members of a corporate body who meet together to worship?

There are five major areas of worship mentioned in the New Testament.  I will list the implications of each of these areas for church families as a whole (corporate worship) and for individuals who are part of a worship leadership team.

Prayer

PRAYER IN THE NEW TESTMENT CHURCH – Acts 4:23-31—The church was literally fighting for its existence in the early days.  They were constantly threatened with terrible punishment or even death because they were believers.  This fervent prayer expresses their desire for God to show Himself strong in the midst of difficult times.  The New Testament Christians, however, also were aware of the greatness of God.  Therefore, they would submit themselves to Him in humble and fervent prayer.

PRAYER IN THE CHURCH TODAY-  Prayer was first and foremost in the life of the New Testament church, and our communion with God must be a top priority in the life of our church today.  It must become the priority of our individual lives and the times that we spend together.  We are just as desperate for God to do a work as the New Testament church was.    

THE WORSHIP TEAM IN PRAYER – We must commit ourselves to regular, fervent prayer.  Our rehearsals must become permeated with prayer.  We must realize that the time we spend practicing music is secondary to our need for prayer.  God can do amazing things through us if we will commit to a faithful prayer life. 

Preaching

PREACHING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – Acts 20:7-12 – The Apostle Paul was evidently both a very effective evangelist (Acts 14:1) as well as one who traveled about to various churches teaching them from the Word of God.  This remarkable passage makes note of the length of his message for the church at Troas on this particular occasion.  Peter was also well-known for his sermon on the day of Pentecost, and there must have been countless others who proclaimed the word of God through preaching.

PREACHING IN THE CHURCH TODAY – There are plenty of comments and opinions about what constitutes good preaching and what some consider to be not as good.  However, our only measuring stick must be the Word of God.  Is the Word being handled accurately by the preacher?  Are the truths explained in an understandable way, and is there a practical application being made to modern day life?  We must remember that our focus should be on what is being taught rather than focusing on the one who is doing the teaching.  Until we mature enough as believers to do this, there will always be people who think that sermons are boring and irrelevant, not interesting, not funny enough, and always too long.  God help us to fall in love with His Word!

PREACHING AND THE WORSHP TEAM – We must lift up our preachers in prayer faithfully.  As worship leaders, we are responsible for focusing our attention on the scripture texts as well as the explanations and applications associated with them.  Instead of talking about superficial things, such as what is being worn or not being worn, how effective the sermon delivery may have been, or the length of the sermon, we must talk about what we learned from God’s Word and what kind of an impact it will make on us in the days to follow.

Praise

PRAISE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH — (Acts 2:46) – The church made praising God a regular part of their corporate worship gatherings.  An interesting thing to note is that the Bible does not specifically say that when the believers praised God that they were always singing.  There are times when singing is specifically mentioned, such as Acts 16:25 (Paul and Silas in prison), but spoken praise is mentioned in the book of Revelation 4:10-11.  In Ephesians 5:19-20, singing is specifically mentioned; and in chapter 5 of Revelation, there are specific references to singing “a new song” (Rev. 5: 9-10) and singing loudly (Rev. 5:12-13)

PRAISE IN THE CHURCH TODAY –While our lives must reflect praise to God at all times (Sunday through Saturday), there is something unique, powerful, and mystical about God’s people joining together in corporate praise.  Whether it’s two believers singing hymns and praying in a Philippian jail cell, or 15,000 gathered in a mega-church, God inhabits the praises of His people.  We must explore ways to praise God as a church, and we must be willing to concede that “our way” is not the only way that is valid.

PRAISE AND THE WORSHIP TEAM — We must understand our role as leaders of worship for the church.  We are truly servants who should seek to serve God and the people of this church by our worship leadership.  We must allow God to challenge us and change us into what He wants us to be.  We must be willing to listen to new things, try new things, sharpen our skills, put in the time it takes to lead with excellence, and find out how we can best serve our church as worship leaders.

Offerings

OFFERINGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH – It is interesting that financial offerings in the New Testament are generally spoken of in a very practical way.  (I Corinthians 16:1-3)   Aside from several Old Testament references, mainly in the book of Hebrews, the word offering is most closely associated with the life of the believer.  (Hebrews 13: 15-16, I Peter 2:5)

OFFERINGS IN THE CHURCH TODAY – We must not shy away from the practical nature of financial offerings.  God has determined that His people are going to finance His work.  We have to come to an understanding of our responsibility as believers to give regularly and generously.

OFFERINGS AND THE WORSHIP TEAM — It is criticially important that we offer to God all that we are and all that we have in order to be fully surrendered to Him.  That’s the only way that our lives will be open to his leadership.  In addition, it is hypocritical to think that we can be considered leaders in the church without being faithful in the area of financial stewardship.  Ask God to give you the faith to give as He intends for you to give.

Encouragement

ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH – An important part of any corporate worship experience in the New Testament was the practice of believers encouraging (exhorting) one another through both spoken word and through the use of music.  The epistles of the New Testament were written forms of encouragement that were read in the various congregations.  While there are other worship acts mentioned in the New Testament, such as fellowship, prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, lifting up holy hands, these really fall under the five major categories mentioned above.

ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE CHURCH TODAY—God knows that we need encouragement to live the Christian life abundantly.  We need encouragement from every angle.  We need to have sin in our lives pointed out regularly by God’s Word.  We need to celebrate victories in the lives of our fellow believers.  We need to cry with those who are hurting.  We need to be willing to take a chance to help a brother or sister in financial need.  We need to know that we are not in this thing alone.

ENCOURAGEMENT AND THE WORSHIP TEAM – As worship leadership team members, we have one of the most visible and influential platforms for encouraging the church!  Every anthem we sing or play, every image we put on the screen, every setting on the sound board should enable the encouragement of the church family.  We must strive to be outstanding encouragers in every way.  We must ask ourselves this before we open our mouths to share something with another church member:   “Will what I am about to say be encouraging or discouraging to the body of Christ?  Is this going to build up or tear down?”  Encouragement is contagious!

Each worship team member should make our leadership role in each of these areas of worship a matter of prayer and seek to consistently improve every area of servant leadership.  As you begin spiritual preparation for this week’s worship service, keep in mind the following thoughts:
*  True worship takes place when we realize the greatness of God and seek to glorify Him through our lives.
*  A regular gathering of the saints is necessary for our spiritual health!  Let’s be regular attenders!!
*  Every day of our life is an opportunity to live in such a way as to show our gratefulness for all of God’s blessings.
Remember, it’s not about the worship leaders.  It’s not about the preacher.  It’s not about the congregation.  It’s all about the incredible God we serve!

Post written by Travis L. Boyd as encouragement for worship leadership teams, first appearing as a devotional for our own worship team and as prayer reminders on our church’s worship team website.

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Worship Planning and Preparation

“And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to Him!'” Luke 9:35

It is such an awesome responsibility to plan a congregational service of worship so that the people of God can express their praise and thanksgiving to Him through various elements of worship.

I believe that every congregational worship service should be planned carefully and prayerfully to include the following:

1.  Worship through prayer, (a musical or verbal prayer) inviting the presence of the Lord to inhabit the praises of His people
2.  Worship through musical praise, choosing songs that glorify, exalt, bless, and praise the Lord
3.  Worship through musical testimony (and/or verbal testimony), choosing a message of hopefulness that magnifies the Lord through a song or verbal testimony of His faithfulness and His work in the lives of His people.
4.  Worship through musical exhortation, choosing a song that exhorts and encourages God’s people in their walk with the Lord and their service to Him
5.  Worship through the giving of tithes and offerings
6.  Worship through a time of prayer and meditation
7.  Worship through the reading or speaking of scriptures (congregationally, or as part of the worship transitions by the worship leader, or by the Pastor in sharing his sermon text)
8.  Worship through the proclamation of the word (preaching)
9.  Worship through the invitation to respond to the leading of the Spirit of God (for salvation, re-dedication, a calling to vocational ministry, or other commitment)
10.  A worship benediction, a sending out of God’s people with a word of exhortation, usually from the Pastor (verbally), but this could also be in a congregational song that emphasizes a key point of the message or is a reminder to continue the focus on glorifying the Lord in every part of life as we go back into the world

Finally, it is important for the worship leader or worship pastor to teach God’s people about what worship really is (in brief statements of exhortation).   Worship is not preparing for anything.  Worship is worship.  The entire congregational service (including the preaching of the word) is worship.   The whole “worship service” is (or should be) devoted to bringing God glory in everything that is said, done, and sung.  That is worship.  We like John Piper’s definition of worship as “intentionally expressing the infinite worth of God’s glory.”
(see link below for the devotion in which this definition appears)**

NOTE:  For more information on living out the intentional expression of His infinite worth in all of life, see our page entitled “Lifestyle Worship.”  Here is the link for that page:
http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship/

The concept of bringing God glory through worshipping Him in all that we do can be found in the following scripture verses:

*   I Corinthians 10:31  “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
*   Colossians 3:17   “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
*   Colossians 3:23   “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance of your reward; you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.”
*   Romans 12:1   “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
*   Romans 12:11   “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.”

STEPS TO WORSHIP PLANNING AND PREPARATION

1.  Asking for God’s guidance and inspiration in all of your planning and preparation, wait on the Lord through meditation on His word for His guidance.

2.  Work with your Pastor and Ministerial Staff in order to support their ministry needs through worship planning by choosing music or Scripture that support the message or any special emphasis when asked to do so or led to do so in prayer.

3.  Consider the capabilities and amount of preparation time you will have and have had for any worship groups who will be sharing a song, skit, or other type of worship message.  In this area, it is vital to communicate with your worship leadership personnel about when they will be there for rehearsal as well as which Sundays they will be out of town.  If you really need certain personnel there in order to introduce a certain song or present a drama, make sure there is a commitment to the time frame that you have in mind.

4.  Consider the technical capabilities of your equipment, the expertise of your tech crew, and the amount of time needed to pull together any technical or media-related aspects of the worship service you are planning.  Not having the ideal set-up can be discouraging, but it is vital to work with what you have and seek to prepare with excellence and reverence.

5.  Work effectively with your worship ministry teams and groups in preparation for leading in worship.  How much time do you need for adequate preparation?  Remember to continually emphasize preparation through prayer.  Your ministry team should feel comfortable enough with their preparation for worship to have a freedom in personal worship and challenged enough to depend upon the Lord for the outcome.

6.  Keeping in mind the make-up of your congregation, strive to be wise in choosing music that is singable, appropriate, worshipful, and within the capabilities of your worship leadership and congregation.  Worship music should not be a challenging vocal exercise or frustratingly difficult to learn.  Make sure that the vocal range is appropriate for congregational singing…not too low nor too high.  If placing a song in the correct vocal range for your congregation will put it into a key that is difficult for your instrumentalists, make sure that you give players plenty of time to master the chords before introducing the song to your congregation.   Flexibility from your accompanists, worship band, and orchestra is a great blessing, but be realistic about where your players are.  Try not to put them ‘on the spot’ with too little rehearsal time for something that is challenging.  Keep tricky rhythms to a minimum in congregational singing.  Even if the melody is one that you love, make sure that the lyrics say something that should be meaningful to every Christian.  The meaning of the lyrics should never be vague and should be expressed clearly.  Remember to use a variety of styles of music as the Lord leads so that there is something familiar and especially meaningful for various age groups and for people who are most comfortable with certain musical styles within your congregation.  However, lead your worship teams and congregation to focus on worshipping God rather than focusing on preferences to the extent that worship is hampered by wrongful attitudes.  [See our pages on  ‘Lifestyle Worship’  and on  ‘Extending God’s Grace’   (specifically the “put aside preferences’ section of this page) for more perspective on this challenging aspect of worship planning.]

7.  If you have been asked to move toward a more contemporary worship style, feel led to do so, or have been leading a contemporary service for some time, think about the practical aspects of learning new worship songs for your congregation.  The people of your church will feel more comfortable participating in singing rather than simply watching the worship team if you will be certain to introduce no more than one new song per service.  Keep the arrangement simple when introducing a new song, chorus, or contemporary hymn arrangement so that the melody can be clearly heard.  You can add more to the arrangement after the congregation has learned the song.  A full new set of songs each week may be musically impressive and even be very meaningful spiritually.  However, it can become a weekly performance rather than corporate worship, and the congregation cannot keep up without the benefit of the rehearsal time that your musical groups have invested.  Be aware of where your congregation is in terms of musical taste and preferences and the ability to learn new music quickly.  Use wisdom in determining how quickly to make changes so that your people can move in this direction along with you.  Keep in mind that many contemporary worship leaders are also singing hymns in addition to their worship songs and choruses.  Read through the lyrics to some hymns in your own private worship time each week.  Remember that the Senior Adults in our churches are part of the gospel’s journey.  They represent decades of faithfulness that allowed the message of God’s grace to reach you!  They were the Sunday School teachers and servants in the church that have kept the flame burning.  Ask the Lord to open your own mind to what He wants to say through the messages of every song that is shared.  Your mix may be different each week, and that’s okay.  If you model a respect for what has come before and a worshipful blend of old and new, perhaps the worship leaders of tomorrow will remember your generation and be open to the validity of your worship music, teaching their congregations to embrace the heritage of faith.  All generations in this media saturated culture are exposed to a wide variety of musical styles and expressions.  A contemporary movie score may include some country or bluegrass, some classical, some jazz, songs by Sinatra and Celine Dion, as well as by Alicia Keys, Adele, or Daughtry, some classic rock, and even big band sounds.  Even the merchandizing music mix that serves as background music in nearly every store is increasingly eclectic.  While it is clearly important to be musically relevant as well as spiritually relevant in order to reach out effectively to young adults who are statistically most likely to make a decision for Christ, remember that “worship is not a church growth tool” (a very true statement from our dear friend, Dr. Jon Duncan).  Worship is the intentional expression of the infinite worth of our God.**  Nothing less, and nothing more.

8.  Be sure to match your arrangements of songs to the lyric content and the building or waning of intensity in a song.  Keith and Kristyn Getty’s song, “The Power of the Cross,” is a perfect example of a song that requires some musical moments of simplicity, quietness, and sensitivity, leading into the building of intensity and adding of voices and instruments that supports the victorious declarations about the power of the cross.  Everyone does not have to play or sing all the time.  There are times when a soloist or praise team only can be very effective in communicating a message through music in such a way that it brings additional focus to worshipping the Lord.  A transition from a more acoustic sound to an amplified sound is sometimes called for as well.  The addition of choir and orchestra can add an incredible power and emphasis to a message.
Important:  do be very aware that anytime your worship plan involves complicating your arrangements by either doing only portions of certain songs or by changing the instrumentation as a song progresses (in order to maximize the effectiveness of the interpretation of lyrics), everyone must be on the same page about what is happening.  A simple song list will not be enough.  The “expanded update” (as Travis has called it) for worship team members (praise team, rhythm section, orchestra, choir, and Ministerial staff) also lists
(A) measure numbers for any song that will begin at a place other than the beginning, with information about who is in (singing & playing) at that point
(B) information about how you will lead a particular song [Example:  verses 1 & 2 before chorus, skip verse 3, use 2nd ending after chorus, modulating in measure 40.  sing verse 4, then chorus at letter D, repeat chorus with tag ending].  Team members have the opportunity to arrange their music on stands accordingly, mark changes, etc., when this information is provided in written form.
(C) any transition information that team members will need to know.  If a the keyboard player or guitar player only does the intro to a certain worship song, when does everyone else drop out, and when do they re-enter?  Will the worship leader be sharing a scripture verse between verses 1 and 2 of a song, requiring a few measures of vamping?  Does the worship leader intend to begin the first verse of a new worship song as a solo done by himself or a praise team member, or is it to be sung by everyone on the platform?  For your orchestra, do you want woodwinds only in a certain section that leads into the next song, or do you want the orchestra to lay out until verse 2?
(D) any arrangement notes about which players or singers should be in or out during certain sections of each song.  Notes such as:  ‘Orchestra enters on verse 2’, or ‘Piano only until the chorus’, or ‘Guitar only on this intro’, or ‘Only praise team sings the bridge section’ will tell all of the musicians exactly what they are supposed to do.
Then, at the end of the service, if you are doing a reprise, using only a portion of a worship song, hymn, or choir special as a worship postlude or benediction, what’s the measure number for the spot where you’ll begin?  Do you take each repeat or play section(s) only once?  Is there any change to the ending for the reprise?
Giving your worship leadership team members as much information as possible will help them to be more effective in their ministry.

9.  Pray for the people, pray for the ministry teams, pray for your ministerial leadership, pray that God will remove barriers to fellowship with one another and with Him, pray that His spirit will be present in power and that there will be openness among the people of God to His Spirit.  Lead your ministry teams to pray over every aspect of the worship service.  Pray for your Pastor as he brings the message, and for any other Ministers or lay leaders who have a crucial role in the worship service.  Pray for anyone who has a part in greeting and interacting with others.  Pray that the focus will be on the worship of our merciful and loving God.  “Sirs, we would see Jesus!”

10.  Finally, don’t forget how important the flow of the service is to the overall atmosphere of worship.  Transitions are vital.  Make sure that there is musical flow in terms of key signatures and any tempo or meter changes.  The message of the lyrics of one song should flow into to the message of the next in a way that makes sense.  It should be like a continuation of thought and an expansion of thought to include some new content in our worship mindset.  In addition, if you can work with others in your ministerial leadership to avoid interruptions in the flow of congregational praise, that will be so beneficial.  Announcements and such should really come at the very beginning or very end of a service if they must be made verbally.  Having your announcements on slides or in a bulletin, by e-mail, on your church facebook page and/or website, or even having a downloadable cell phone app for your church’s announcements will prevent the distraction that occurs when the focus changes from the eternal (worship) to the daily (who, what, where, when) and back again.  Hopefully, your ministerial team will be sensitive enough not to follow a truly holy moment of reverence with a joke.  While it is true that humor can unite us in sharing a moment of lightness or levity, sensitivity to a moment of reverence is always welcome.  Perhaps a prayer would be a great way to acknowledge our awesome God and the intimacy of His presence during the worship time before moving on with whatever message opener is desired by the speaker.  Hopefully, it will be possible for your ministerial staff to partner together in prayer for every element of worship, and in an attitude of awareness about what contributes to a meaningful worship time during which God’s people meet together with Him in praise and

What process do you use

 

Feel free to comment on the methods and opinions that are expressed here.  If you have additional thoughts about the subject of worship or about worship planning and preparation, please add them as a comment.

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** John Piper’s definition of worship has been paraphrased.  His original wording can be found in the devotion titled  ”Bodies, Breakfast, and the Marriage Bed”  and subtitled  “A Meditation on Daily Worship”.
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Post written by C. Boyd, based upon decades of learning and growth in the area of worship ministry through the study of scripture and many books on the subject of worship, years of deep conversation with Travis and many other worship leaders and mentors, and observation of effective worship leadership by people who love the Lord and seek to praise Him.
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Do you know Jesus?
The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
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