Sing and Shout for Joy to God
The psalmist commands us to shout for joy to God, sing songs using instruments like the timbrel, the lyre, and the harp. (Psalm 81:1,2) Sounds pretty loud to me. Why would God want us to sing and shout joyfully to Him? I have a theory. It is just my opinion, but I would like for you to consider it prayerfully.
We have all been to ball games at which we shouted joyfully. Many of us have been to secular concerts in our lives where we sang with joy. We enjoy all types of instruments when we listen to the radio. Why is it that we don't have the same joy for the Lord that would cause us to sing and shout joyfully? What does it say to non-believers who know we are Christians, when they see the difference between how we act at a game or a concert and how we act in church?
I believe the psalmist is encouraging us to be more joyful about the Lord in our worship than we are about anything else in our lives. He is worthy of that type of praise. Maybe we don't sing and shout joyfully to the Lord, because we do not really have joy in our hearts. If the joy is lacking, it won't come out as we worship Him. We need to check our hearts, and if there is a lack of joy, it is a heart problem. We need to allow the Holy Spirit fill us, after confessing our lack of joy and other sins. Then, He will produce true joy in us. (Galatians 5:22) Once we have the joy, and we are filled with the Spirit, we should be able to put away any inhibitions that would stop us from singing and shouting with joy to the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 84-86.
We have all been to ball games at which we shouted joyfully. Many of us have been to secular concerts in our lives where we sang with joy. We enjoy all types of instruments when we listen to the radio. Why is it that we don't have the same joy for the Lord that would cause us to sing and shout joyfully? What does it say to non-believers who know we are Christians, when they see the difference between how we act at a game or a concert and how we act in church?
I believe the psalmist is encouraging us to be more joyful about the Lord in our worship than we are about anything else in our lives. He is worthy of that type of praise. Maybe we don't sing and shout joyfully to the Lord, because we do not really have joy in our hearts. If the joy is lacking, it won't come out as we worship Him. We need to check our hearts, and if there is a lack of joy, it is a heart problem. We need to allow the Holy Spirit fill us, after confessing our lack of joy and other sins. Then, He will produce true joy in us. (Galatians 5:22) Once we have the joy, and we are filled with the Spirit, we should be able to put away any inhibitions that would stop us from singing and shouting with joy to the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 84-86.