One thing that has changed in churches throughout the past couple decades is the transition from the use of the word praise to the use of the word worship. I know that in all the teams I have led, I make sure to use the word worship when referring to the songs, time, service, etc.
There’s nothing wrong with the word praise, but it’s just a glimpse into worship. According to dictionary.com, the word praise means the act of expressing approval and admiration. It's an act of worship. Worship is reverent honor and homage paid to God; expressing that He is worthy. This worship does not always come out as praise. When you’re going through a difficult time, you most likely will not be expressing your approval or admiration of God. You’ll be crying out to Him and telling Him your confusion or frustration, but through it all, when worshiping, you’ll be proclaiming that He is worthy even when you don’t understand. The Book of Psalms gives us this beautiful picture of worship, encompassing every emotion, and every type of worship. The Psalms aren’t just showing admiration, but so many, especially if you’re reading Book One, give us a picture into David’s heart which is full of lament. He seems to go from one trial to the next, but he never gives up trusting God or proclaiming that God is still in control. He continues to worship even when it’s hard to praise. In addition to the psalms of praise (which we’ll call hymns) and psalms of lament, there are also psalms of thanksgiving, wisdom, and royal psalms. To learn more about these, read the blog 5 Types of Psalms. This variety gives a great picture of worship. God already knows our heart, so we should just come before Him honestly whether it be crying out, declaring His wisdom, or giving thanks. I want to encourage you to remember these different types of psalms and the different emotions of worship the next time you are in a worship service or listening to a worship album. The songs or prayers may not be all praise and admiration, but will still be a picture of worship!
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If you do a search or read several commentaries, you’re going to come up with a variety of answers on how many types of psalms there are in the Bible. This is one of those subjects that are interesting yet non-essential to the Christian life. There’s no need to get into heated debates about how many types of psalms exist! In the Psalms (Book One) A Prayer Journal simplicity was key. I wanted to make sure the lay reader and studier of the Bible could determine the type of psalm within their personal devotional time and not have to endure extensive research. Therefore, I went with five broad categories of the types of psalms: hymns, lament, royal, thanksgiving, and wisdom. I will talk through each below. I hope this information is helpful as you read through Chapters 1-41 of Psalms! Hymns When you hear the word hymn, your mind probably jumps to the classic hymns and hymn style that is sung in the church today. Actually, when we refer to a psalm as a hymn, it just means that it’s a general type of psalm and doesn’t fit in the other categories we’re going to discuss. Honestly, as I was reading through and studying the Psalms, this was my process-of-elimination category. If the psalm didn’t fit anywhere else, then it was probably a hymn. These psalms were sung at a variety of worship services and usually just general praise to the Lord. 1 Lord, our Lord, Lament The majority of Psalms Book One consists of lament psalms. These come from a point of sadness or complaint to the Lord. The psalmist is often crying out to God for help. This makes a lot of sense when you read the preface to so many psalms and know where David is coming from and what he is enduring when writing the psalm. The lament type of psalm is extremely important for us to understand because it is a great reminder that we can worship God no matter what our circumstance: the good, the bad, or the sad. 1 Listen to my words, Lord, Royal This type of psalm is the least common in Book One. There are only four to be exact. But, even though they are rare, I think they are pretty easy to determine. These psalms were sung in the presence of kings and were often prayers for the king. To oversimplify, the key word you’re looking for is king. Wondering why these exist? Remember, most of the Psalms, all in Book One actually, were written by King David. 6 Now this I know: Thanksgiving This is a type of psalm that is pretty easy to determine. They are psalms full of praise and celebration, thanking God for all that He has done! Oftentimes, you’ll see the key phrase give thanks. The only reason this psalm can be confusing is because some psalms fit into a few categories. Sometimes, David starts in lament and switches to thanksgiving as he worships the Lord. When determining the type of psalm, you can put it in both categories or choose one. 1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; Wisdom The final type of psalm are those that seek the wisdom and instructions of God and His Word. This may be another process-of-elimination category for you if you are having a hard time determining which are the wisdom psalms. There are some that state obviously Your Word and some that simply don’t fit in any other category so you know they are wisdom psalms. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; I hope these five basic categories help you as you read through Psalms Book One! Make sure you pick up your copy of the Psalms (Book One) A Prayer Journal and download the free Psalms (Book One) At-A-Glance Worksheet.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 I don’t really mind working from home, spending less money, and spending so much time with my husband. I’m sure many of you feel the same. You get to spend quality time with your kids, learn new hobbies, and live every day in your sweatpants. Sounds like a good time to me! Everything is all good until you login to social media, turn on the news, or walk by all the empty shops and restaurants, or when you think about everything that has been cancelled during this time. Weddings, funerals, graduations, birthday parties. Everything must wait. So, what should you do while you wait? While you deal with the disappointment and frustration? When you don’t know what to do, do the next right thing. In November of 2019, Disney came out with the movie, Frozen II, which had this theme of doing the next right thing when you don’t know what to do. Take a step. Make a choice.You may not have the final solution, but you can do something. It doesn’t have to be a giant step. Just pick something. Maybe it’s folding that load of laundry. Maybe it’s cleaning rooms in your house. Maybe it’s just getting out of bed. Doing something is better than doing nothing. This might sound daunting, but that’s okay, you weren’t meant to do things on your own. You have a loving God who cares for you. He cares about your hurts, your disappointments, your uncertainty. He can see our entire journey, so we just need to trust Him one step a time, even when we cannot see. Doing the next right thing is kind of like walking in the woods with a flashlight. The flashlight helps, but you usually can’t see from where you are to where you want to go. The only way to see your end goal is to take one step at a time and let the light show more of the path as you walk. Let the Lord be your light in the darkness bringing you one step closer with each step. If you aren’t sure where to start in doing the next right thing, I want to encourage you to spend some time with God. Read my blog post, The First Things, for some ideas. And while you’re waiting and pondering, listen to the song, The Next Right Thing, from Disney’s Frozen II. |
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