Why We Do What We Do: Praise And Worship Through Music.

| Spiry Tee

"The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave. But we can praise the Lord both now and forever! Praise the Lord!"
Psalms 115:17‭-‬18 NLT.

We were made to praise and worship the Lord. Our praise and worship is very precious in the sight of God because we are creatures made with free will. We are not robots,  so we  can choose to dishonor and blaspheme the name of the Lord but we don't because we have come to intelligently comprehend that there is no goodness and life outside the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. When we sing and praise the Lord individually and corporately, we are fulfilling the purpose for which we were made.

There was a time king Hezekiah of Judah was sick and about to die when Isaiah the prophet said to him by the word of the Lord, “...Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” (Isaiah 38:1 NLT). The king turned his face to the wall and prayed to God. In His prayer Hezekiah said these words, "For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness. Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next. Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord." (Isaiah 38:18‭-‬20 NLT).

The Lord was ready to heal the king when he affirmed his purpose for living- praise. What caught my attention in that prayer of Hezekiah is the fact that the dead are of no use to the Lord. The dead cannot praise the Lord nor hope for His faithfulness. That means God dislikes the death of His saints because it robs Him of true and heartfelt praise. That is why Jesus came to give mankind life and life more abundantly so that our praise may be forever.

Therefore when we sing and praise God with music, we should not see it as a preamble to the main service. Praising God is the reason for which we exist. Our praise is not supposed to be occasional or periodic but continually. "Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name." (Hebrews 13:15 NLT).

Praise is and must be a big part of our lives individually and corporately. "Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Spirit by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good. Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts. Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18‭-‬20 GW). Praise Him, sing and make music for this is the reason you were created.  Prioritise it; and as you praise, you keep death at bay.

SPEAK LIFE.
I am made to praise God with my life. I will live and not die because the dead cannot praise the Lord. As I praise I keep death at bay.

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