Celebration Weekend | 1 Chronicles 16:9-10 | Devotional
1 Chronicles 16:9-10
Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
The Ark had been gone. The object that represented the presence of God among his people had been sitting in the land of the Philistines. After a failed attempt to bring it back to Israel, David left it with a man named Obed-Edom (cool name!) and “the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.” Now it was time to retrieve the ark and place it in the appropriate spot. The return was accompanied with a loud ordeal of rams’ horns, trumpets, cymbals, lyres, and harps. David even danced before the Lord, much to his wife’s chagrin. And now, with the Ark back in Israel, it was time for the people to praise God.
David directed Israel to sing! From the bottoms of their hearts and the top of their lungs they were to lift sounds of praise to God. In their music and lyrics they told of God’s “wonderful acts.” In their expression, they were to demonstrate that God was holy and glorious. This was not lip-syncing. From their hearts (the center of mind, emotion, and will) they were to rejoice.
I am not a proponent of the “Seeker-Sensitive” movement, where the service begins with a nice jazz piece followed by a “talk” on a topic of “felt-need.” I believe the best thing for a non-believer to see is a believer singing praise to God from his heart. Certainly, there must be times of prayer and reflection. Those are powerful times for the believer. But when a Christian lifts his voice in praise, he is blessed AND the non-believer has to sit up and take notice. So believer, “Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.”
Father, please help us to glory in your holy name. Help us to allow our hearts to truly rejoice in you. May those who hear us sing know that you alone are worthy of our praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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