Psalm 47

I cannot clap and sing at the same time. Just ask my wife.

Yet there are times when the joy of the moment, or the emotion of the song remove my inhibitions and I clap- off beat- and sing- off key- at the same time. I believe that what is important in those moments is not my musical prowess or lack thereof, but rather my heart. I'm not standing before a crowd leading them, I'm just being joyous before my God.

I sing praises.

God wants my best- but more than that, I believe He wants my honesty, my true feelings. I'd rather sing off-key with a heart broken before God than sing the most beautiful notes known to man with an empty heart.

And I think I know which God would prefer as well.

Psalm 34

I will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

Worship is better when it is with others. And it is sweeter and more intimate when it comes from a heart that has been broken and beaten and yet still dares to offer God appreciation.

When I am down, when I am weary, hearing the words of another who rejoices in God is always uplifting. I'm not talking about the fluffy, 'sunshine and rainbows' kinda praise that is borderline phony (to me, at least)- rather the praise that comes from a soul that knows things are tough- but that God is better.

A lot of people question why it is necessary for people to gather for worship- this is my response: God made us for relationships with Him and each other. Only through communal joy and suffering do we truly get to know God.

Psalm 30

I know what it's like to be down, to be sad. It kinda stinks. I also know what it's like to be under attack- it also stinks.

But then, I also know what it's like to see God come to the rescue. To watch your accusers- human or spiritual- be silenced. To feel your sorrow melt away to be replaced by hope and joy. These are the birthplaces of our worship.

Yet, we often seem to forget to thank God when we are saved. We find something new to complain about or fear. And even if we do thank God, the amount of time spent there is infinitesimal to time spent begging for help.

Our cry, our promise, should instead be:

"LORD my God, I will praise you forever."

Psalm 29

This psalm opens with a plea for all creation to give God His due.

The rest of the psalm talks about...His voice?

Yeah, we open with how great God is and deserving of worship, then we get but a glimpse of Him. Maybe whisper is a better way of putting it, since it is only the vocal stylings of God we get to see. And yet, it proves the call to 'give God His due' in the first verses is very true and needed. With just His voice, the most powerful trees split, the lightning crashes, nations move.

Then, He sits back on His throne, presiding over all.

If simply telling God what He already knows about Himself brings on an awesome display of His power, why don't we do it more often?