The Fruit of Our Lips Is an Act of True Worship
Our sacrifice of praise to God is something that is unique and special to the church alone. No other religion sings like the Christian faith.
“He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3).
“God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3).
When an unbeliever comes into a Spirit-empowered, biblically grounded worship service, it can dramatically impact his life. He will be spiritually touched by seeing and hearing God’s people in loving communion with their Lord.
Midnight worship
The apostles Paul and Silas sang worship songs at midnight while in prison (see Acts 16:16–40). “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).
Instead of groans, songs issued from their mouths. Instead of cursing the men who had arrested them, they blessed God. Instead of complaining or calling on God to judge those who had inflicted their pain, Paul and Silas worshipped!
The other prisoners listened because they knew that whatever was making Paul and Silas sing in their terrible condition had to be real. Certainly the jailer was listening, as he later asked them, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
When you are in pain, the midnight hour may not feel like the best time for a worship service. Nevertheless:”God my Maker. . .gives songs in the night” (Job 35:10).
“The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8).
In his sermon, Songs in the Night, C.H. Spurgeon said: “Any fool can sing in the day. . .It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but the skillful singer is he who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by. . .Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of men.”
Worship in song can be a powerful tool for evangelism. Nonbelievers will sense the presence of God and see that the relationship the worshippers have with God is genuine. This, in turn, helps to prepare their heart for the message to follow from the Word of God.
Worship is a part of our prayer.
A unique, spiritual dynamic takes place when we exalt the Lord and remind ourselves—as well as the enemy—of His power and goodness to us. We see this dynamic of worship in spiritual battle when David sang for King Saul. Whenever an evil spirit tormented King Saul, he called for David, who played his harp and worshipped the Lord. David’s anointed music caused the spirit to leave Saul for a time. As David worshipped God, his songs of praise and adoration had an impact on the forces of darkness.
