In case you were wondering

photo credit: indesignguy

I was reading through Psalm 66 on Sunday, and I’ve read it over and over the last couple of days. I’m struck by something that is not new to me, but seem to be a struggle some Christ-followers have about their walk with Christ. Let’s read the Psalm together, shall we?

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs.”
Interlude

Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he performs for people!
He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.
Interlude

Let the whole world bless our God
and loudly sing his praises.
Our lives are in his hands,
and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
You have tested us, O God;
you have purified us like silver.
You captured us in your net
and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
Then you put a leader over us.
We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings
to fulfill the vows I made to you—
yes, the sacred vows that I made
when I was in deep trouble.
That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you—
the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,
and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats.
Interlude

Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Beyond just being a beautiful piece of Scripture, look at the worship taking place within the Psalm. The psalmist not only relates his personal worship experience, but encourages his readers to worship on their own. Look at the words he uses, and the action inherent within those words.

shout = come on, raise the roof!
sing = He has put a new song in your heart and praises on your lips, hasn’t He?
tell = don’t keep Him a secret, you should be spreading the love
say = talk to God Himself, tell Him who awesome He is
worship = the example give is “sing your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs.”
come = don’t just sit there, you’ve got to come see this!
see = open your eyes and look
come = I see a pattern developing here, I think you got to get moving
bless = we are to bless God, this can’t be passive
sing = there’s that music thing again
sacrificing = ouch, this is the REALLY hard one because it’s not a sacrifice if it didn’t cost something (and it’s also supposed to be the best, not the leftovers)
come = the Rule of Three has been invoked, you really need to get up off your backside and come already!
listen = don’t just let it go one ear and out the other, really listen as we talk/sing/tell about all God has done for us
tell = don’t just sit and listen, also tell what He has done for you
cry out = don’t be shy, cry out to the Lord when you need His help
praise = this is nearly always some kind of verbal action (sing, shout, say, pray, tell, etc.)
confess = agree with Him about where you’ve strayed
pray = talk with Him, He’s your best friend and will listen to everything you have to say (and even though He can read your mind, He really wants to hear it straight from you)

There is it, all the proof we need contained in on Psalm. Worship, while contingent upon a heart attitude, is very much an ACTION. If you did not act or were not spurred to act, you did not worship. Yeah, you dressed up all pretty for church and all, but if your “worship” didn’t look like what you’ve read above, you might have been better off staying home and watching a movie, or better yet just sleep in.

Not trying to be critical, just encourage all of us to not let ourselves get away with anything less than what is described in the Psalm, and then call it worship.

Come and Listen - David Crowder*Band
Shout Unto God - Hillsong United

Technorati Tags: confess, david crowder, hillsongs united, Music, praise, prayer, psalm, psalm 66, shout, sing, Worship, worship practice, Worship Theology