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Worship Out Loud

    Worship Out Loud

    The Dark Days of Worship Music

    I became a Christian in the late 80’s and suffered through many bad years of worship in the church. I’m not saying there wasn’t anything good out, but in my circles we would sing things like, “Shut the door; keep out the devil” or “Humble Thyself.” It wasn’t pretty. I remember going to church where they would switch the order of the service because people were coming late in order to miss the singing. I can’t say I really enjoyed it either at that time. If we sang “Victory in Jesus,” I would put on my deep south accent to entertain myself.

    Don’t misunderstand me; I loved Jesus. I just didn’t embrace the blessing of worship until I entered university. It was there I roomed with another who loved Jesus, but also loved to worship Him.

    My Worship Conversion

    My college roommate used to sing in boys choirs. His ability and love of worship rubbed off on me. I also started to find enjoyment in singing praises to God. There was an old amphitheater near our dorm that was always empty where I would go and sing. The acoustics of that place made me sound wonderful. The solitude of the location enabled me to sing loud. It was a delight every time I went.

    Worship does something to us that is more than offering praise to God. It does a work within us. The Bible tells us that God created the world by speaking it into existence (Genesis 1:1-3). Paul tells us the Bible was God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus breathed on the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). There is life in our breath – our spirit empowers our words. When we worship, we come into alignment with what the Holy Spirit is trying to form in us.

    There’s Power in Worship

    In the mid 90’s, the Promise Keeper movement was taking off. This was a gathering of men to encourage them to be the fathers, husbands, and leaders God created them to be. In one event, they decided to host a march in Washington DC, which I attended. They estimated over one million men that day, which completely covered the lawn between the Capital Building to the Washington Monument. This rally imprinted on me the power of worship.

    At one point we sang “How Great Thou Art.” One million men singing praises to God at the top of their lungs. I could feel the rhythm of our singing reverberating in my chest. I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I knew God was there. And, I didn’t want it to stop.

    An Encouragement to Sing Loud

    I still like to worship at the top of my lungs. I feel I come alive awakening my spirit and aligning my soul towards a greater love for Jesus. Today we have a great wealth of worship music to satisfy any style.

    I want to encourage you this week to find some time to sing with all your might. If you are feeling a bit distant from the Lord, sing even louder. Tell yourself, I don’t care how I feel, I will choose to turn my heart and attention to the One I love. Nothing will warm your heart and awaken you to God’s presence more than worshiping with all your might.

    I would love to hear the results of you trying this challenge. Please leave your experiences in the comments below. God bless.

    “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You.” – Psalm 71:23
    “Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of His praise be heard.” – Psalm 66:8
    “Shout for joy before the Lord, your King.” – Psalm 98:6

    Original image courtesy of Jesus Culture

    11 thoughts on “Worship Out Loud”

    1. I am 62 yrs young and I love to sing and dance when I praise the Lord. I love the latest Christian music and I love prophetic worship! When I dance at church or wherever during worship, I sometimes have thoughts that I’m putting on a show and overdoing it and what would others think?
      As I read this blog, I had a revelation the devil hates it! He’s telling me all this…ha ha! Makes me want to dance with even greater abandon!

    2. Hello Kevin,
      I do completely agree with this post. I am very musical and love singing and playing the piano. I love the old hymns, and God has spoken to me numerous times through many of them. I hope none of them were being discredited or mocked in this post, as most of them are like mini sermons in of themselves, and have deep and profound experiences that led to them being written.
      Whenever I am alone, or entering my house when I know it’s empty, I just sing out at the top of my voice, and somehow it releases emotions that couldn’t be released through any other expression. I love composing music, and many of my songs were results of expressing my feelings with God. Sometimes, when I don’t know how to pray about how I feel or what I am experiencing, I will sing to Him. There is something special that seems to happen between us when I sing my feelings. More so during those times, I sense God listening and being attentive to me. I find this way of worship and communication with God very effective and rewarding.

      1. Dear Rachel,

        I may have mocked the praise songs from the 80’s, but it was before my appreciation of worship. You may still hear me sing, “ah la la la, la la lay lu yah. ah la la la, la la lay lu yah,” but I don’t think many of these praise song were the mini-sermon hymns you are referring too. 🙂

        Thank you for sharing. I’m glad to know others like to sing at the top of their voices, like I do. It brings me such joy.

        Blessings,
        Kevin

        1. Hi Kevin,
          hee hee, you were correct; that ah la la la song was not what I was thinking of. I actually always thought that song was a kids song, because we used to sing it in vacation Bible school. 🙂 they are still fun songs to sing.
          yes, it’s nice to know that others like to sing the way I do too. hee hee.

          1. When my girls were younger, I would hold them during worship. I wondered if I ma have been hurting their ears with my loud singing. Must not have scared them off because they both still ask to be held at times during worship. 🙂

            1. I really think that is a beautiful thing, you holding your daughters during worship. I, being the huggy-type person that I am, especially appreciate that whole situation. 🙂 They are probably like I am, loving the physical touch. It creates the special bond, between you and them, and they probably appreciate that the most.
              Thanks for sharing.

      2. Pingback: WORSHIP OUT LOUD | Fathers Blog

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