Can We Give A Round Of Applause Please??? (Psalm 47:1-9)
Today's psalm is all about praise. Specifically lifting up our praise to the awesome God we serve. I looked up the word praise in my good old fashioned dictionary and here is a list of definitions I found: express warm approval, admire, compliment, celebrate, glorify, honor, exalt, adore, and my favorite one: APPLAUD!!!
How fitting that this praise encouraging Psalm 47 starts with this line, "Clap your hands, all you nations...". It is literally saying to applaud. It beings this psalm, this call to praise, with a call for applause. But why does one applaud? What causes us to give applause?
I love to go into the city to see Broadway shows. I go with family and friends as often as I can. There is one consistent thing the audience does for every show and that is to applaud the actors when they have performed well. Some shows have had me standing on my feet with everyone else for countless minutes as we raised up our applause for a performance that wowed, delighted, touched, surprised, awed, and sometimes inspired me. It can then lead to shouts and whistles and cheers of delight to let the actors know how great the performance was. It doesn't end there though. When I leave the theater my excitement and joy continues. I can't help but chat with my theater friends at how good the show was. I point out all the parts that I just loved and we talk and talk reminiscing about what we saw and experienced. We are recounting the joy of the performance over and over and over again. I even come home and tell my family how great it was and how I know they would enjoy experiencing what I experienced. It is a great experience to be had.
How often do you applaud the Lord? How often do you stand wowed, delighted, touched, surprised, awed, or inspired by the God we serve? How often do you take the time to sit and ponder who God is and let it amaze you? How often do you take your eyes off of your earthly circumstances and look at God and just marvel at all He has created and delight in all that He is? How often do you reflect on His power, nature, kingship, majesty, achievements, incomparable character, justice, truth, wisdom, sovereignty, creativity.... I could go on and on here!!! All creation, life, is a stage where we have the opportunity to see and experience the beauty, authority, power, wonder...of our God. We have the opportunity to stand in applause and let the Lord know just how glorious He is.
Truth be told we don't spend nearly enough time pondering and delighting in who our God is. We spend a lot of time talking about what our God can do and has done for us (not saying that is a bad thing just an often "us" focused thing). We can tend to focus more on what we gain from our God then just the pure delight of sitting in His presence and being moved to our feet in applause. Our applause should move us into shouts, whistles and cheers of praise for just how amazing He is and how blessed we are for being able to experience all God is. We should be left so elated, so moved, that we can't help but talk and talk with others about our awesome God. We should be so excited that we want to tell our families and friends all about our experience with our God and desire for them to share in it and have their own applause worthy experiences too.
I read a short article on praise where the author said, "Praise comes from someone who is thoroughly thankful." Gratitude plays an important role in Praise but all too often our focus changes from praise that is solely on God to a focus on ourselves and what God has done in our lives. It goes from praise (which is giving attention to God's Glory) to giving thanks for what he has done for us. I want to challenge us all today, and everyday, to spend time in pure "applause", in such great admiration of God that you can not help but lift up hands, shouts, songs.... that you lift up praises to the King of kings! Try to not use the words "Thank you" during this time of praise (save it for after or start off with it) but in your reflection and awe lift up your applause for who you have discovered him to be. Praise also comes from spending time and experiencing God. The more time we spend the greater our applause will be because the greater the experience will be.
I would like everyone who reads this to respond to me and share an "applause", a praise with me. It can be a verse that speaks to Who God is or to His power or authority. It can be a revelation you've had. It can be a song that speaks to his character. It can be anything but let it be something that stirs you with wonder or awe today. Psalm 22:22 (which was quoted by Christ in Hebrews 2:12) says "I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you." Our praise is not just meant to be in the quiet by ourselves. We are called to stand in applause as an assembly of believers and shout it out for all to hear. Won't you stand and join me now in a round of applause of praise for our God and King?
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