Tag Archives: Praise and Worship

Entrance of Praise

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Studying the Tabernacle in the Old Testament the past few months has been such an encouragement to me in my walk with God.

Earlier I posted why a Tabernacle and in the elaborate plans that God gave Moses for the Tabernacle – and in the Israelites response – we see how much God desires a relationship with us.

The Tabernacle of Old Testament and Our Worship Today

What really stood out to me was that there was only one gate – one way into the Tabernacle. I know it is not a popular thought today but it reminds me that Jesus said He was “the Way.”

One Way Jesus

When the Israelites would stop and camp, the 12 tribes of Israel each had their own assigned area to camp by the Tabernacle. Interesting the tribe of Judah was to be camped first next to the entrance to the Tabernacle.

The name “Judah” means “praised” or “let him be praised.” This reminded me of how important praise is in the life of a Christian.

Psalms 95:2 – Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Psalm 100:4 – Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

Even in the New Testament we are admonished to praise God.

Hebrews 13:15 – Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.

What does it mean to offer a “sacrifice” of praise. To us the word “sacrifice” sounds like offering something that is difficult or costly for us. While it can mean that, in the Old Testament a sacrifice was an offering to God. So first of all, our praise is an offering, something we give to God.

However, I think the writer speaking of a sacrifice of praise might mean to tell us our praise is not dependent on our feelings or our circumstances. When all is going well, it is easy to praise God. But in those times when all is well, how much of our praise is really directed to the awesomeness of God and how much just grateful because all is going well in our world.

Of course we should be grateful – but our praise must be more than that. Praise is the recognition that God is faithful and good. That we trust Him no matter our circumstances.

Worship is choosing to respond Biblically and responsibly despite the environment or circumstances. Somehow, we have come to accept an emotion-oriented approach to worship that says, “If I do not feel like expressing worship to God, it is hypocritical to do it!” In no other area of life do we accept this philosophy. Because it is the responsible thing to do, we go to work, pay our bills, restrain ourselves from saying certain things at certain times to certain people – although we feel differently inside. We say “I’m sorry” and “I forgive.” Do we always feel like being nice? Or forgiving? No! God never said, “If you feel like it, forgive. Or, if you are having a good day, love your enemies! And in leap years, on nights when there is a full moon, bless them that persecute you, and do good to them that spitefully use you!”…P. Douglas Small

In my own life I have experienced what praise can do in times of distress. At 33 my husband was killed in an accident and I was left with two small daughters to raise. There were times when I felt overwhelmed and afraid.

I remember one day in particular when I looked out my kitchen widow at the meadow below our home. We had purchased this property because it was a perfect place to raise our daughters in the country. There was enough acreage to have a couple of beef cows, some chickens and my daughters wanted a horse. It was Fall when we bought the home and now it was Spring. Lonnie died before we could fulfill those dreams.

As I looked at all the wild flowers in the meadow, I thought how much my husband would have enjoyed the view and began to cry that he never lived to see it. Suddenly I realized that he was probably seeing things far more beautiful than that meadow. And seeing them with two good eyes instead of looking at it with his one handicapped eye.

As I praised the Lord, those chains of worry and despair fell from me. Yes, sometimes they came back, but when that happened, I just began to praise the Lord again.


Recognize This Beloved Song – “Faith’s Review and Expectations”

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A new songbook called Olney Hymns was published in 1779 and one of the songs in the book became perhaps the best loved and well known hymn that is today known by another name.

Guess what song it is!

This song was part of a section in the hymn book that contained songs based on passages of the Bible.  The passage that was listed with this song was 1 Chronicles 17:16-17.

 “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O Lord God.”

The tune we use to sing this song was not the tune used then.  Today two of his stanzas are no longer used and there have been two added by two different writers.

Guess what song it is!

It is believed that this hymn was written to go along with the writer’s sermon which he preached for the New Year service January 1, 1773.  His sermon notes for that day fit with the scripture that was placed alongside the hymn in the Olney Humns book.

His sermon notes included this thought:

grace

Guess what song it is!

This verse which was part of the original hymn is not usually found in hymnbooks in the USA today.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When the movie Amazing Grace about the life of British abolitionist William Wilberforce was made, popular contemporary Christian musician Chris Tomlin was asked to write an additional verse.  He was reluctant to add to this well loved hymn but when researching he discovered that someone had already added a verse years ago.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing His praise
Than when we first begun.

I have sung this hymn for years not knowing that this verse was not part of the original hymn.

Guess what song it is!

Tomlin added a beautiful addition to the song.

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy reigns,
Unending love, amazing grace.

In his research, Tomlin found another verse that was part of the original hymn but had been left out for years in our USA hymnals.  He added it back into the song and like many others I thought this verse was one Tomlin had added.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Bet you have guessed what song it is!

Yes – somewhere along the way Faith’s Review and Expectations became Amazing Grace.  Writer John Newton had been the captain of a slave ship.  After receiving Jesus Christ as Savior he became an Anglican priest.  Although he was slow to take a stand against slavery he did become a strong voice speaking out about the evil of the slave trade.  His tract, ‘Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade‘, described the horrors of the slave trade and his own role in it.  He called it “a business at which my heart now shudders.” 

He encouraged William Wilberforce and others to fight against the slave trade.  As he began to lose his age and age some suggested he should retire but he told them, “I cannot stop.  What?  Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?”

The act to abolish the slave trade finally was passed in February 1807.  By that time Newton was nearly blind and nearing the end of his life.  It is said that he “rejoiced to hear the wondrous news.”

Why Sunday Morning Worship Speaks to Me

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In Christian circles we use the word “worship” to often refer to the twenty or so minutes we spend on Sunday morning singing songs.

Depending on the church you attend the music may be very formal with hymn books, organ and perhaps a choir.  It may consist of words projected overhead on a screen with guitars, drums and a small group of singers leading.

You may sing hymns written hundred of years ago by Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby or Isaac Watts.  You may sing contemporary songs written by Chris Tomlin, Michael W Smith or Darlene Zschech.

worship 2worship

It is amazing how churches have been divided by the style of music played on Sunday morning.  I have shared some thoughts on that subject in the past.

Worship – What’s Your Style?

Worship – What’s Your Style – Part II

But worship is much more than that.  Realizing that is important if we are to grow in the Lord for only twenty or so minutes once a week  is not enough to keep strong the bond with us and Jesus.

Still, I find those twenty minutes on Sunday morning are such a blessing to me.  First, it is encouraging to sing with fellow believers and hear their voices raised with mine declaring our faith and God’s goodness.

This Sunday I was reminded how important the sense of community really is and my heart was so encouraged.  I try to stay focus on the music and the words and keep my attention on the Lord.   But I noticed a young family worshiping across the aisle from where I sat.  They are a young couple with a small child.  What a joy it was to me when I saw this young couple clearly  focused on worshiping God as the father held their little daughter.  What an encouragement to know we still have  young families loving and serving God.

I am also amazed how many times when the choice of songs seem to speak directly to me.  Songs of joy and praise when I come to church and everything is going great in my life.  Songs of encouragement when my week has been stressful.

Right now I am in a physical struggle facing possible surgery and dealing with pain that I have experienced now almost four years.  Pain that is only getting worse.  The worship leader who chose the songs did not know that but it was as if he had read my mind and picked songs just for me.

These songs have reminded how God has always been there for me – and I will be playing these songs over and over in the weeks to come.

Hope you might take time to listen to these songs also and let them encourage you.

 

 

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Am I Really Desperate?

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desparate

I’m desperate! Or, am I?

In Sunday’s worship we sang a Michael W Smith song entitled “Breathe.”  This is a song I love.

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I –  I’m desperate for you
And I –  I’m lost without you

When I hear it I sometimes become quite emotional.  Tears may fill my eyes and my heart is filled with a great longing and love for the Lord.  Memories will flood my mind as I remember all the times I was desperate for the Lord – and He was there.

  • When my parents were divorced
  • When my husband was killed in an accident
  • When my grandchildren died
  • When my husband had a heart attack
  • When I was diagnosed with cancer

Oh yes, I was desperate then!

But as I sang that song Sunday, I questioned myself.  Am I only desperate for the presence of the Lord when I am in a crisis?  And, if so, is that really being desperate for the Lord – or desperate for Him to help me?

The dictionary says the word desperate means

feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.

With that definition I was desperate in those situations because they seemed hopeless and impossible to deal with.  That is why my eyes often feel with tears and a great sense of love for God fills my heart because I remember how He was there in those times of desperation.

But as I listen to those words, I think am I desperate for God for more than just deliverance from a hopeless situation?  Do I really realize how desperate my life would be without His presence – not just in difficult situations but in every day, every aspect of my life?  Do I really grasp how much I need Him?

Does my daily actions reveal my need for Him?  Questions run through my mind:

  • How much time do I spend seeking His presence?
  • How much time do I study His Word to know His will in my life?

It’s easy to sing how lost I would be without Him in church on Sunday morning surrounded by fellow believers.  But the question really is:   Does my life Monday through Saturday reflect that sense of need for Him?

May I like the Psalmist truly say:

I am always aware of the Lord‘s presence;
    he is near, and nothing can shake me.

May I like the Psalmist truly say:

As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,
    so I long for you, O God.

May I truly be desperate for God not in the sense of wanting someone to help me out of a difficult situation – but desperate in the awareness of how truly lost I would be without His presence.

Worship – What’s Your Style – Part II

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I recently wrote an article about how we treat worship like we do a movie or a theatre performance instead of what it should be – honoring the Lord.  https://barblaneblog.com/2017/04/04/worship-whats-your-style/

While working on our church newsletter I found this cartoon and just had to share it.  Hope it brings a laugh – and maybe a more serious thought about how you approach worship.

Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard ### FREE Community Edition ### on 2015-05-20 20:58:59Z | http://piczard.com | http://codecarvings.com

Worship – What’s Your Style?

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We talk a lot about worship.  We write/read books on the subject.  We talk about the “style” of worship we like. There is contemporary worship, traditional worship, liturgical worship.  In some churches the argument over what songs we sing, what instruments we use and whether or not we have a praise team or a choir has actually split churches.  At many larger churches we see signs that advertise a certain style of worship will be used at one service and another style at a second service.  Seems to me that we treat worship like we do other music.  Some love country songs, some classical music and other rock and roll.

Traditional vs Contemporary – Us vs Them

So we appear to insist there are two kinds of worshipers.  There is the “old crowd” who love their hymns and want something “traditional.”  There is the “younger crowd” who want contemporary songs only with drums, keyboards and guitars or, if they do an old hymn need to change it to a more contemporary style.

But is that really what worship is?  Should my own musical likes or dislikes determine how I worship?

Tradition

To those who long for the “good old days” when we had organ and piano instruments and “traditional” hymns, I have to ask:  “Do you think worship only started when those old hymns were written?” The singing of hymns was not officially approved in the Church of England until 1820.  Yet, without those old hymns the early church clearly worshiped.  Paul wrote to the church at Ephesians

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Matthew’s Gospel tells us after the Last Supper before Jesus went to the garden to pray He and His disciples sang a hymn.

Traditional means:  the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs,information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice:

If you want traditional music, how far back do we go for that?  Just to the hymns of the 1800’s and England?  Maybe we should go back to the Middle Ages and the Georgian chants?  Most Biblical scholars believe the early church probably sang the Psalms?  So if we want to have traditional music perhaps we should only sing the Psalms.

Contemporary

Contemporary means:  what is happening right now, marked by characteristics of the present period.

So contemporary worship will be worship that is suitable and meaningful for the current population.  It is not for those who lived hundreds of years ago.  Therefore, we have to recognize that the “method” of worship will always be changing.

From Psalms to Gregorian chants to Charles Wesley’s hymns to Chris Tomlin’s praise songs.

The Old Becomes New Again

For those “old folks” who long for the old hymns, just hang around a little longer.  I found interesting studies as I did some research on the history of worship that many millennials are leaving churches with contemporary worship and returning to the liturgical churches with their organs and old hymns.

Is Worship Just About the Style of Music?

When we have made our focus on worship about the style of music, we have lost the real meaning of worship.   Our worship should not be dictated by the style of music we like or dislike.  Our worship should be dictated by what we believe. Our worship should be directed toward God, not ourself.  In John 4:23-24 Jesus told the Samaritan woman

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So our emphasis is not about the style of music, rather we have a praise team or a choir or a single worship leader.  It is not about the “outward form” of worship.  It is about the “inward form” – our heart.  God is seeking worshipers who will worship him truly from their hearts.  God could care less if we have the latest sound system and the best worship teams if we do not come to worship Him from our hearts. God wants our hearts!