How To
Shout!
"Sing to Him a new song;
play skillfully with a shout
of joy."
Psalm 33: 3
Parents and teachers are heard reminding young
children to “use your inside voice.” In biblical days,
“shouting” was encouraged and practiced,
mostly
as a means of praise during times of worship or
in moments of victory.
In fact, Psalm 33:3 implies singing and
shouting with joy were parallel activities
(Psalm 5:11; 32:11; 35:27).
What did this shouting sound like? Sometimes it
was a combination of singing, weeping, and shouts
of praise to God at the same time (Ezra 3:10-13).
Today, no one has to tell a crowd of thousands to
shout and cheer when their team scores points—
shouting with joy
is instinctive. If we shout for joy
over temporal victories in life, how much more is
God deserving of our shouts of joy in song and
in word?
Joy is the operative word—shouting and singing
are just the means to the end of praise. Be bold
in your worship! Sing and shout joyfully to God
for His eternal victory.
"Only to sit and think
of
God, oh what a joy it is!"
Frederick W. Faber