"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp." - Psalm 149:1-3 (NKJV) God is like a doctor, and …
“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.”
– Psalm 149:1-3 (NKJV)
God is like a doctor, and in Psalm 149, He prescribes three essential actions we must take. First, He calls us to praise the Lord regardless of our circumstances. The Scriptures provide us with two contrasting examples: in 2 Samuel 6:14, David danced with joy and offered sacrifices when the ark of God was brought into the city of David. Conversely, in Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas, despite being imprisoned, still praised the Lord.
There is a profound mystery in praise that empowers us to subdue the challenges we face. The exclamation mark in Psalm 149:1 emphasizes that God desires excitement in our praise; our worship should never be dull. Whether we feel like it or not, we must lift our voices in praise to the Lord.
The second prescription in Psalm 149:1 is to praise the Lord with a new song. Psalm 96:1 encourages us to sing to the Lord a new song, and Psalm 33:3 (NLT) reinforces this idea. Our praise should be vibrant and fresh, and if you feel inspired to compose your own song, go for it! It doesn’t matter how your voice sounds—your voice is a unique signature.
The third prescription is to praise God in the assembly of the saints, as stated in Psalm 149:1. While we can praise God anywhere, He delights in the gathered community of believers lifting their voices in worship. David exemplified this in 1 Chronicles 29:20, reminding us to join in praise when we come together as a church.
To elevate ourselves, we must first go low.
You may wonder why God desires praise in the assembly of the saints. The answer lies in Psalm 149:2-4, which emphasizes that God takes pleasure in us. This is not to be confused with the notion that God is pleased with our wrongdoings—He is not. As stated in Ephesians 1:5-6, it is God’s pleasure to predestine us as His children, accepted in the beloved. Regardless of our circumstances, God finds joy in us. As we praise Him, He rejoices and sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17).
When we follow God’s prescription for praise, we are granted certain privileges as outlined in Psalm 149:6-9 (NLT). The first privilege is vengeance. Romans 12:19 reminds us that vengeance belongs to God, and we cannot seek revenge ourselves. As you begin to praise, a sword enters your hand in the spiritual realm to execute vengeance—not as your own doing, but as God’s. If you desire God’s vengeance, start praising Him; in praise, God’s vengeance is provoked (Psalm 149:6-9).
The second privilege we receive is judgment. While the Bible warns us against judging others (Matthew 7:1), when we remain in a posture of praise, God looks to execute judgment on our behalf.
Finally, remember that our praise to God should be “crazy” praise, not restrained or dignified. In this kingdom, true dignity comes from humility; to elevate ourselves, we must first go low.
Song of Worship
It is good to praise the Lord, Hallelujah – 2x
Hallelujah, praise the Lord– 2x
Prayer – Dear Lord, help me to praise you with excitement all the days of my life. May my praise always bring you pleasure in Jesus name. as I praise you, execute vengeance and judgment on my behalf. Amen.
Bible in 1 Year: 2 Kings 19-21
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