“Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” – Psalm 32:11
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!” – Psalm 66:1-2
Clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! – Psalm 47:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song. – Psalm 95:1-2
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, in melodious song with the harp. With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout for joy before the LORD, the King. – Psalm 98:4-6
In the Fall of 1998, we returned to the US from living overseas for three years. It was a bit of a sabbatical where we had a few weeks to reconnect with friends and family. For that period of time, we traveled around the US, visiting folks. On Sundays, we would go to their churches.
Oddly, every Sunday (or the majority of them), the same song was on that church’s worship list. A song released in 1994 in Australia by composer, worship leader Darlene Zschech. This song would put the then 10-year-old Hillsong Church on the global worship map.
Our kids were still youngsters in 1998 but remember well how we stood gathered with other believers and sang that glorious anthem to the Lord – week after week. Amused at times, we puzzled over how many times we ended up singing it. That song and those worship experiences would bring me (at least) to tears in those moments. In awe of Jesus…and His provision for His beloved.
We don’t sing this song much anymore, now over 30 years since its release. However, its call to worship is still real and relevant. Yesterday, I found Australian pastor/teacher Robert Griffith‘s piece on shouting to the Lord. He writes that there are 135 references in Scripture referring to our shouting to the Lord. His observations are powerful and transformative, some quoted below.
Now, all of us shout. If we have voices, we have all shouted many times, and for numerous reasons. We’ve shouted in the overflow of great joy. We’ve shouted in the exultation of victory. We’ve shouted in the tension of competition. We’ve shouted in the chaos of battle. We’ve shouted in the tumult of controversy and argument. We’ve shouted in moments of great danger. We’ve shouted in the explosion of hot anger.
But we rarely shout alone. Have you noticed that? Similar to laughing, and to some extent singing, shouting seems to be designed primarily as a corporate expression of strong emotion, something we find most enjoyable or helpful or needful when we do it with other people.
There’s something profound and mysterious about a group of people sharing a common excitement and joy. Often, joy is heightened when we experience it together with others – and certain joys are only properly expressed in shouting. To not shout together in the stadium as your team crosses the line to score, would emotionally mute the whole experience.
Most of the scriptural instructions to shout are addressed to the gathered saints – the Psalms were mainly meant to be sung (and sometimes shouted) together with others.
What about when our Church gathers together to worship (and it’s not a funeral)? What does our Church culture encourage? Are there occasionally moments of exuberance in song where all the saints “shout for joy to God” (Psalm 66:1)? Or does that always feel out of place, or only done by one or two courageous (and odd) people?
Do we ever feel the realities of the mercies of God, our redemption, the spiritual conflict we’re engaged in, the promise of our resurrection, and Christ’s ultimate triumph strongly enough to inspire a shout? I ask this question for a couple of reasons. One, it might reveal a personal deficiency in our souls that we need to address with the Lord – that we’re not connecting deeply enough with the realities of what God has done for us, and what God has promised us. And, of course, that’s all of us to a greater or lesser degree. What we may need is to repent of giving excessive attention to lesser things and spend more extended time meditating on “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8) in order to stoke the embers of our deep passion for Him. Without passion, nobody is going to shout.
But a second reason is that, to some degree, an affectional deficit might be due to the fact that we don’t shout together. I often feel certain great truths of God, or at least dimensions of them, more deeply and intensely when I share and shout over them with others.
Shouting is commended and commanded in the Bible, like singing, because there are dimensions of joy in God that are only experienced when we express ourselves in this way – particularly when we express ourselves this way together as the people of God.
Because of the clear biblical exhortations to shout, I commend these thoughts to you for your prayerful consideration – especially pastors and leaders who craft worship times for gathered saints. What we all want is for the saints to experience as much blessing of delighting in God as possible.” – Shout to the Lord – Robert Griffith
Let’s make some noise! Our church when gathered is definitely Spirit-filled but, at the same time, somewhat reserved. I do sense a movement stirring…may we voice our delight in the Lord in ways that honor Him.
My Jesus, my Savior Lord, there is none like You All of my days I want to praise The wonders of Your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter Tower of refuge and strength Let every breath, all that I am Never cease to worship You
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing Power and majesty, praise to the King Mountains bow down and the seas will roar At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand Nothing compares to the promise I have in You
(My Jesus) To my Savior (my Savior) Oh, Lord there is nothing like You All of my days I want to praise The wonders of Your mighty love
You’re my comfort (my comfort), and my shelter, yes (my shelter) You’re my tower of refuge and strength Let every breath, and all that I am Never cease to worship You
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing Power and majesty, praise to the King Mountains bow down and the seas will roar At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand Nothing compares to the promise I have in…
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing, yeah Power and majesty, praise to the King Mountains bow down (mountains bow down and the seas will roar) At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand Nothing compares to the promise I have in You (Nothing compares to the promise I have in You…) Oh, nothing compares to the promise I have in You*
