God's Prophetic People - A People of Passion, Purpose And Power

God's Prophetic People

As we march back into the history of the Nation Israel, we find that worship there was an active event. And talk about physical! Why, there was dancing, clapping, processioning, singing, shouting, and all the rest. Even in her apostasy, Israel seems to have been more alive in the worship of the Lord than most contemporary churches . . . For as these people were alive in the Lord, they certainly held nothing back in manifesting their praise and worship to God in very physical ways (Peter Gillquist, The Physical Side of Being Spiritual ). 12

Now that we recognize the role of the heart in praise, let’s move to examine the different purposes of praise.

IV. THE PROPHETIC PURPOSE OF PRAISE A. To RELEASE THE PRESENCE of God (Psalm 22:3)

When we praise the Lord, He will display His manifest presence in our midst. God’s rule will inhabit our praises. When we praise Him, He will enter. His presence will live (take up residence) in our lives. The word inhabit literally means: to sit down, to remain settled, or marry. 13 People certainly settle down when they get married, don’t they? The Lord also said that He would be enthroned on the praises of Israel. The verb enthroned means that wherever God’s people exalt His Name, He is ready to manifest His Kingdom’s power in a way most appropriate to the situation, as His rule is invited to invade our setting. Jack Hayford states: “God awaits the prayerful and praise-filled worship of his people as an entry point for His kingdom to come – to enter, that His will be done in human circumstances.” 14

B. To RESPOND in WARFARE (2 Chronicles 20; Psalm 149:6-9)

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A People of Passion, Purpose, and Power / © Brian Daehn