presence of God 24 / 7 / 365 and 366 on a leap year .
This Coram Deo - living in God ’ s presence - is what is available to followers of Jesus today . Yes , some of us long for special times of experiential intimacy with God . Others of us less so . But if we all used inclusive language that allowed for that difference - rather than language that suggests an “ us and them ” battlefield - The Church would be more unified . More as one with each other and with God .
I recently sat down with a friend ( who also happens to be a Pentecostal Pastor ) over coffee . As part of a bigger discussion about the presence of God , I asked him why some churches use language like “ God showed up ”, “ Welcome to the house of the Lord ”, “ Come Holy Spirit ” and “ God inhabits the praises of his people ”. His answer surprised me : “ Pentecostals tend to use language in ways that leave a hole in their theology so big they can drive a bus through it with their flapping arms out the windows .” He wasn ’ t trying to be funny . I wasn ’ t laughing .
The Old Testament describes how God dwelt among his people , first by inhabiting the tabernacle ( Ex . 25:8 ; 29:45 ; Lev . 26:11 – 12 ) and then by inhabiting the temple ( Acts 7:46 – 47 ). That ’ s a description of the Old Covenant . But today , we ’ re living under the New Covenant . The New Testament clearly tells us that Believers themselves are the temple of the living God ( 1 Cor . 6:19 ; 2 Cor 6:16 ; cf . 1 Peter 2:5 ). By His Holy Spirit , God inhabits His Church . We are the “ temple ” and Jesus is our Cornerstone .
So , does God inhabit the praises of His people ? Well , yes in as much as God is omnipresent . But in a particularly potent and special way , God inhabits us ! One of the main , if not the main reason Believers should gather together is because , even though God is indeed omnipresent ( already in the room ) we , mysteriously , wonderfully each bring more of God ’ s Holy Spirit into the room ! This is the case if we ’ re a “ sing it till you feel it ” or a “ sing correct theology ” team , or a blend of both ( as many Church congregations are ).
So , before you use that phrase “ God inhabits the praises of his people !” as you lead sung worship , perhaps do a bit of research . Let me help !
Know this : “ God inhabits the praises of his people !” is not a direct quote from any translation of The Bible that I can find , but I ’ m sure it ’ s drawn loosely from Psalm 22:3 . Thanks to BibleGateway . com here ’ s how it reads in several of the more widely used scripture translations :
“ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One ; you are the one Israel praises .” ( NIV )
“ Yet you are holy , enthroned on the praises of Israel .” ( ESV ) “ But You are holy , O You who are enthroned in [ the holy place where ] the praises of Israel [ are offered ].” ( AMP )
“ Yet you are the holy God , ruling from your throne and praised by Israel .” ( CEV )
“ Yet you are holy , enthroned on the praises of Israel .” ( NLT )
“ But you , the praise of Israel , dwell in a sanctuary / among saints .” ( Septuagint )
Those translations don ’ t sound to me like God is actually in the praises sung by today ’ s Church . Do they to you ? I did find two translations that read more like that though :
( MEV ) “ But You are holy , O You who inhabits the praises of Israel .” ( KJV ) “ But thou art holy , O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel .”
But even as we read those last two versions of Psalm 22:3 , we must be careful not to take one verse and build too much on it . Psalm 22 is a Psalm of lament . It begins with the words spoken by Jesus while He hung on the Cross : “ My God , my God , why have you forsaken me ?” Read the whole Psalm .
Recognize the context of the Psalm . That it is poetry ( probably song lyrics ) and written firstly for the Israelites during the Old Covenant when God ’ s presence inhabited the temple in Jerusalem . Our New Covenant context is very different today .
Read The Bible more widely and deeply about praise and singing . Please allow God to speak to you through His written Word louder and more clearly than from the other “ worship leaders ” you ’ ve heard say it .
NOTE : It turns out that Psalm 22:3 is a tough verse to translate into English . There is some disagreement among scholars about how best to understand it today . I am grateful to Church Music and Worship PhD holder Matthew Sikes for his paper Does God Inhabit the Praises of His People ? An Examination of Psalm 22:3 for helping me understand the verse better . Check it out if you want to go deeper . But I must warn you - it ’ s a rather intellectual read . You might need a dictionary . ( I did ).
We humans are so prone to make everything about ourselves . It ’ s our sin nature at work . “ What do I get out of it ? What ’ s in it for me ?” we ask , even as we stand and lift our voices ( and maybe also our hands ) to worship God through songs . Some of us seem to want to receive experiences of God . Others may want to gain more knowledge of God . Neither , in and of themselves , are bad things to want .
But the object of worship - all true worship - is , has always been and must always be giving glory to God . The worship of God is to show the worth of God . To ascribe value to Him . We don ’ t receive . Worship - the worship that God requires of us - is only from the created to The Creator .
Grant Norsworthy founder of MoreThanMusicMentor . com
MoreThanMusicMentor . com
44 February 2024 Subscribe for Free ...