I tried to continue looking at the quiet side of praise and worship, but couldn't do it. Yes. I like boisterous praise. I cannot get enough of praising with a loud voice of triumph.
How fortunate for me - one of the Hebrew words for praise is "shabach" - to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph."
The people of God don't shout enough. They act like God might be timid and easily disturbed by noise.
They haven't heard His thunder or seen His lightning if they believe He is offended by a rousing "Hallelujah" or "Glory to God!"
I repeat that those who profess Christ as their Lord should be awed by His presence, bowing at His feet and overcome by His glory. The reverent attitude of worship is also lacking in the church.
Silence or quiet, however, is not at a premium; unless the members are in the fellowship hall or spending time greeting one another, they are too willing to be quiet.
The scriptures mention often the fire of God and talk about His word burning in the bones of His followers. Worship is often pictured as smoke, the result of fire.
Modern worshippers are so worried about "wildfire" that they quench the fire of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Like flint clapped against flint to produce a spark and ignite a flame, sanctuaries across the land need to have a "holy fire" ignited by a good, noisy dose of praise.
I have NEVER witnessed a quiet stadium filled with fans of a winning team. Fans of winning teams are usually so boisterous as to be arrogant. Have you ever been on the losing side and heard, "Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na, Hey, hey, hey, goodbye!" chanted from the opposing stands?
Because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we are made triumphant over sin and death. Because He was raised from the dead, you and I live just this side of eternal life in the presence of God!
Even in life on earth, we are winners, not always having everything the way we would prefer, but able to have the attitude of conquerors as the victory of Christ is imputed to us.
Nobody has more reason to shout and express triumph than sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Practically speaking, we who are still dwelling in fleshly bodies experience sorrow, anger, bitterness and frustration. We do not always enter a time of worship feeling like praising God by singing, clapping, lifting our hands or any of the other ways of expressing worship.
Sometimes the "shout of triumph" - though not an empty noise - must be the kick start, the catalyst for our praise, with the emotions flowing from the will to praise.
The psalmist, believed to be David, said, "I will praise the Lord!" God is worthy of praise. Because of His salvation given freely to me, I have cause to do no less than praise. I can do this any time and anywhere.
I certainly should decide to - in the midst of the congregation of the Lord, and at liberty because of their love and understanding - break forth into praise as we celebrate together the goodness of the Lord.
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