Oh That Men Would Praise the Lord!
Oh That Men Would Praise the Lord!
Oh That Men Would Praise the Lord!
We find a wonderful song of thanksgiving in Psalm 107. In this passage, the Psalmist recounts the many reasons we all have to praise the Lord. In verse 8 this repeated refrain appears for the first time, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” It is most reasonable to expect that those who have received His mercies would express gratitude by giving praise in return.
The Congregational Song Service
In 2001, I came to Oklahoma City to begin my ministry training at Heartland Baptist Bible College. What began that fall was the re-shaping of my vision for the congregational song service. To watch God’s people, gather together and lift their voices in a sincere and heartfelt way, being led by one who himself was stirred by God and was transparent enough to show that, would forever change my view of what we were there to do for the first portion of every church service. Now all these years later we are striving to carry on what “those who have gone before” have handed us. This baton though, is much more than a method or tradition. It is a conviction that God is still interested in hearing His people lift their voices in a fitting response for the eternity-altering redemption He has given to each of them.
Whether taught in so many words or merely displayed and lived out on a weekly basis, there are a few guiding principles which have been handed down to this generation, that we are trying to give to each young person who comes through the halls at Heartland Baptist Bible College and serves at Southwest Baptist Church. These principles are not an innovative new perspective but quite the opposite, they are quite ancient. May the Lord help us to pass along this same heart: “Oh that men would praise the Lord,” to the next generation.
God is Our Primary Audience
If you are like I am, you can find yourself reading quickly over this with merely a mental understanding that never quite affects behavior beyond simple knowledge. There is sufficient biblical precedent to show us He is looking for, and interested in, the praise of His people. If He is indeed the audience observing us, in the moment we pick up our hymnals and open our mouths, why are we so apt to be distracted? Four times in this Psalm we are given the refrain pleading for us to praise His name. Over and over throughout the Scripture we are reminded that when we sing, we are to sing “to the Lord.” This causes me to pause and consider, “Why am I so slow to respond in this way? Why must I be continually stirred and reminded before I produce it?”
The Song Service is Not a Time-Filler
If we never truly understand who our real audience is, then we will be hard pressed to look at this part of a service as anything more than merely an on-ramp to the real destination. Far too often we find ourselves at the conclusion of a hymn and realize we do not even remember the words we sang during the previous five minutes. You may be familiar with that wonderful text in 2 Chronicles 5 where we see the dedication of the temple, but while it may be a familiar passage, I am encouraged and convicted every time I read the account. The song service that is preserved for us in that text shows the incredible possibility of the music of God’s people. God is so interested in the praise of His people that He can be moved by it. What an overwhelming thought! I must wonder how many times we have missed that opportunity because of our casual approach to this portion of our church service.
Full Participation is a Reasonable Expectation
What an opportunity! No matter your title, responsibility, age, or level of musical ability you can contribute to this part of the service. Who of His people does not have a reason to sing His praise? We should rejoice in the Lord always because it is a command for His people. It truly comes down to a matter of obedience, not preference. If we praise the Lord because He is worthy of our praise, then let me pose the question, “When is He ever not worthy?” It is not unreasonable, it is very reasonable, to expect that His children would participate in lifting their voices and praising Him for Who He is and what He has done.
Singing from the Heart is the Goal
Our goal is passionate and heartfelt congregational singing that is born out of a love and gratitude for our Savior rather than just a response to external stimulus. If we are not careful, we can become too clever for our own good when trying to stimulate the congregation to sing. To be clear, this is not to say we should not give creative effort to this part of the service. In fact, I think we can give more deliberate effort to being purposeful in this part of the service than we often do, but we must strive to keep the right balance. I do not believe we have any indication in the account found in Acts 16 that Paul and Silas (while imprisoned) were praising the Lord in song because of a well-crafted service order that created that outburst of praise. It is possible our singing may be more of a reflection of our spiritual state than we would care to admit. How can we expect the world to be drawn to a Savior Who has changed our lives and Who we claim to love when we have less passion and heart in our music than the world has for their music?
We should all continue to work at encouraging those we interact with to remember the example given us in Scripture, and the example of those saints who have gone on before us. If we have been redeemed and rescued from the miry pit, let that affect how we sing to Him this Sunday. You may not have the influence or platform to affect multitudes of people as some others may have, but multitudes of people aren’t the real audience anyway. Lift up your voice to the Lord; He is watching and is ready to receive our praise. Oh that men would praise the Lord!
Aaron Mast | Music Department Chairman | Heartland Baptist Bible College.