What do we do in worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and of the Father, Creator of the Universe and Lover of our Souls?   Some of us go to large churches with beautiful scenes depicted in stained glass and a carillon ringing from the bell tower.

 

Others of us go to neighborhood churches that do not have the same type formal adornments but which provide a family atmosphere  among the members.

 

There are a variety of activities that we engage in as we worship in our local church, and those activities vary with the denomination of which we are a part.

 

However, I suggest that we could look at the worship in heaven and take that as a guide for our worship here on our spinning globe.

 

We have a beautiful description of the praise that is given to God in the vision that Isaiah had of the Lord, sitting upon His throne.  Read the words of Isaiah and then close your eyes and picture what he saw.  The heavenly creatures whose function is to praise the Lord because the Lord is deserving of all praise and glory:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah 6:1-4.

Scripture continues to say that, in response to the incredible vision of the Lord, Isaiah fell to the ground proclaiming that he was a sinner, that he had unclean lips. Then, he was cleansed when the angel touched his lips with a coal from the fire, thereby allowing him to stand before God.  [I submit that a true understanding of who God is and who we are will result in terrible awe as we recognize that we cannot stand before God, without His intervention to cleanse us of our sin.  A holy God cannot look upon sinful creatures nor can a holy God tolerate or excuse sin.  However, back to the topic of praise!]

 

Isaiah is not the only one in Scripture who had a vision of the Lord and the praise rendered ceaselessly to Him.  This praise to the Lord is described by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation:

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”   And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:8-11

 

Clearly, we should praise God with our lives, our words and actions as well as the motives of our hearts.  But, our praise to God also extends beyond ourselves, even to our corporate worship each Sunday, for it is there that we glorify God in the presence of other believers as the Holy Spirit is present with us.  In fact, Scripture exhorts us to worship the Lord and give Him glory in all that we do, whether it is in church or not.

 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31.

 

So, the question becomes:  “Do I praise the Lord every day?”  Do you?  Not with a plastic sneering grit your teeth mantra of “praise the Lord” whenever something bad happens, but with heart-felt humbleness as we remember all that God has done for us through Christ our Lord.  Even if a trial comes our way, if distress raises its head, we have the calm assurance that God is in control and He is sovereign.  He will use even the things we consider negative to teach us something about Himself and to draw us closer to Him.

 

Go ahead … join David when he says “Praise the Lord!”  In fact, the exhortation to “Praise the Lord” is found 49 times in Psalms alone.  Clearly, praise is important to our God!  Here are just a few verses from Psalms about praising God:

 

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 106:1

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!

Psalm 112:1

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!

Psalm 148:1

 

In fact, make praise the default position of our spirit no matter what comes our way.  Anticipate that God will use each situation for His purposes, and praise Him for having you in His hands and for Him being with you all the way.

 

How can I praise the Lord?  Sing.  Not only do Scriptures exhort us to praise the Lord, but we are told to sing to the Lord.  Here is a sampling of verses with this directive:

 

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.

1 Chronicles 16:23

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

Psalm 104:33

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!

Psalm 147:7

 

Singing to our God is exhibited in the New Testament as well.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, … .

Act 16:25

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

Ephesians 5:19

 

Praise God.  Sing a song, out loud.  [You don’t even need to be in the shower!]  Go ahead and let out your praise in prison, at home, in the car, in church, in the choir, wherever you are.  It matters not whether you can carry a tune or read music … your song will be transformed by the Spirit into heart tones that are pleasing to our Father and that will bounce back to you in enriching joy and peace, filling you with His comfort throughout the day.

 

Here is Integrity Music’s Scripture Memory Song entitled “O come, let us sing”  which features the text of Psalm 95:1-3.  This song was composed by Joey Holder and is on the album entitled The Power of Thanksgiving.  I pray that you will listen and memorize these verses so you will be reminded as you go through your day that the Lord desires praise and we can rightfully provide that praise because He is a great God and a King above all gods.

 

 

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:1-3

 

Go ahead, praise Him even now.  Lift your voice in song and praise the Lord!

 

Father, forgive me when I have gone through the day with a grumpy spirit, or with a frown on my face rather than the glow of your love.  Forgive me when I have forgotten all that you have done for me through Jesus Christ. Accept my petition and enable me to give You praise today, through my words, actions and thoughts.