Mystery of Praise

“Praise the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever.”

David, the king and poet, encourages us to praise God. He entreats us, commands us to do it. Ok, so what if I do not feel like it, what if I am not with it in my heart? What if I am not ready for it? There may be something I really should talk to God about, something I need to pour out before Him. And when I am ready, renewed, freed from my worries and sins, then I am ready to sing praises…

            “Praise the Lord,” says David, “for He is good.” Life is simpler than we think, at times. We praise God because of who He is, not because I am ready for it. I may never be ready – if I really go into that one. But God is good. Can sad, egoistic, sinful hearts praise Him? Of course. Can angry hearts, hurt souls, praise him? Of course. It is not due to my mood, but it is about Him, who is good.

What does this mean, to ‘praise’? Does it mean to have hands up in the air, come into a state of mind where all is sweet and joyful? Is it to be in ‘worship-mode’, with blissful smiles, grooving with the beat, and emotionally reaching up to heaven? Now, if this is what it means to praise God, it is again based in our state of mind, in our readiness to be accepted before God; coming with clean hearts – but where do we get this idea from?

“Laudate, omnes gentes, Laudate Dominum” we sing in the Taize gatherings.  To laud, honour, praise, are words which indicate rank and authority. In this little chorus, it is the peoples of the world, all, who are encouraged to praise God. It is not because they will find it in their hearts that they are ready; no. The Lord God is worthy, is the King, the Lord of the Universe. And He is good. Our praise is always because of Him, not us.

The interesting thing, though, when you join in songs of praise, something changes in you. You do not prepare your heart for praise, but the worship, the adoration, brings you before The King in such a way that it changes you. Perhaps it is the focus: God is greater. Perhaps it is the liberating encounter: you were not ready, but He is good; His mercy endures forever.

I have a great testimony from someone close to my heart: He was, in his teenage years, defiant towards God and his family, struggling to find his way in life, struggling with understanding who he was – messed up a bit, but in his school he had to participate in some form of Christian activity. He chose the ‘worship’ thing, because he was interested in music.  Hm. I think you can guess the outcome? God met him, and he found back to God. 

            So, today: In the music you choose to listen to: listen to songs of praise! Join in the worship. It is not about the mood, it is about who and what you meet in the music. 

           I suppose all music affects us; but the one where we come before the King of heaven – it changes us. 

J.S. Bach wrote a “Soli Deo Gloria” on his pieces. Profound.