Worship, War, and Wisdom: Church Planting Lessons From DavidSample

It would take days to read through all the ways David offers up praise to the Lord throughout the Psalms. We would have to include a portion from every single psalm. There is never a psalm that fails to sing the praises of the Lord. This is the underpinning of David’s faith: even when he is alone and afraid, he is always aware of how amazing and able God is. He has total trust.

David’s heart overflows with praise. He is the greatest “words of affirmation” guy, the ultimate hype man. Some phrases he repeats over and over. Other insights into God’s greatness he only mentions once. He is so creative in all the ways he tells the Lord how great He is! In every emotional condition, praise to His Father in heaven naturally flows from David’s pen.

Sometimes it is jubilant, but just as often, it is a declaration. He reminds himself that God is in control, He is powerful, and it’s not too hard for him to take care of the situation at hand. It’s not empty praise, mentioning God as a supporting actor to pump himself up, as our modern worship songs often do. It lists hundreds of attributes of God’s character, interwoven with his own story, truly focusing on the greatness of God.

How naturally does praise flow from your lips? True, genuine, creative praise? I encourage you to find new ways to express how you see God working and moving in your everyday life, in nature, and as the God of the universe.