"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV).
Shout!
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:1-2, NIV)
You might hear shouting at sporting
events. You might hear shouting for one
team and then the other. The expressive
voicing in their shouting may be in support or derision and it will make itself
known in tone and words. You might hear shouting as intense anger and
frustration spill out in relationship.
You might hear shouting at a political rally as the candidates excite
the crowd with their promises, throwing out a short slogan that unifies the
crowd to a plan of action. You may hear
shouting as people applaud a performer speaking or singing. Shouting can even pour forth as people are brutalized
by a mob. Military leaders have rallied
their armies to battle for centuries by their shouting and people have been
directed countless times over countless years by people in authority as to a
specific action to avoid an immediate danger just before them.
So what is the Psalmist asking us to do,
when he tells us to “shout with joy to the LORD?” Does our shouting offer up a type
of applause to our God? Does he want us
to abandon all reservations rising up to an excited emotional state where exuberant
shouting pour forth? The shouting we are
called to offer, does not come from some induced emotional feverish place or
religious state but rather in deep expressive overpowering realizations of the
mercies and blessing of the God we know and thus worship. The Psalmist encourages us to worship fully
with total abandonment. This gratitude saturated
worshipful shouting is evident as David’s came dancing unto the LORD as he
entered Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-15). David’s shouting came from the deepest
part of his soul and his exuberance could not be contained. Are not the mercies and blessings upon us from the
LORD are just as wonderful as they were for David … maybe it time for us to let out a couple of shouts
of joy? Sometime today ... go outside and without reservation, simply
shout your praise and thanks to our God.
Be ever so grateful that you are His and so are all of your days.
“One of them, when he saw that he was
healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God, I'm healed!" He fell face down on the ground at Jesus'
feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan”
(Luke
17:15-16, NLT).
Suggested Bible Reading … Psalm 100
& Luke 17:15-16
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