We read Psalm 81 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Look at verses 1-2:
1 Sing aloud to God our Strength! Shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 2 Raise a song, sound the timbrel, the sweet lyre with the harp.
I know that there are still some believers who prefer 'quiet' praise, but it is NOT Scripturally correct to do so! Praise, by its very nature, is loud and to be heard! "Sing aloud", above, is the Hebrew word "ranan", which means: to emit a stridulous sounds, to SHOUT (usually for joy)! The Dictionary definition of 'stridulous' is: to make a shrill, harsh, grating sound! Certainly NOT very 'quiet' with that one! Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon goes on to say about 'ranan': to give a ringing cry; to shout for joy, to overcome. Vine's Expository Dictionary goes on to say: to express joy and exaltation, which seems to demand loud singing, especially when it is praise to God! "Shout for joy", above, is the Hebrew word "ruwa`", which means: to split the ears with sound, shout for joy. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says: to shout, to raise a sound, to cry out, to give a blast, to shout a war-cry, to signal war, to shout in triumph, to shout an applause. The Theological Wordbook says: to raise a noise (by shouting or with an instrument). SO, although there is a time and place to "Be still and know that (HE) is God", THIS is NOT one of those! In fact, it would be considered disobedience to the Word of God to always do so, and to never do what is actually being spoken here! Let's look at the end of Psalm 81 to see what happens when God's people rebel against Him and His Word! Verses 11-16:
11 But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. 12 So I gave them up to their own hearts’ lust and let them go after their own stubborn will, that they might follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! 14 Speedily then I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries. 15 [Had Israel listened to Me in Egypt, then] those who hated the Lord would have come cringing before Him, and their defeat would have lasted forever. 16 [God] would feed [Israel now] also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy you.
Refuse to be stubborn, as the Israelites were, but instead, DO the first two verse we read in Psalm 81, and then EXPECT to see the mighty hand of the Most High God arrange everything thing in YOUR life for HIS Good! AMEN! Here is Darlene Zschech with an older song called "Shout To The Lord":
Shalom in Him!
