It is very easy for apathy, indifference and formality to enter into the place of worship. Perhaps even without realis­ing it our worship can become heart­less, lifeless and cold. Psalm 95 seeks to guard against such a thing. The latter part of the psalm seeks to ensure that the people of God really listen to God's word, the first part that they really sing God's praise. If we look at the opening verses of the psalm we shall discover a few things that should govern and influence our praise and hopefully keep it alive.

Our Praise Should Be Directed⤒🔗

In worship we don't sing songs; we give praise, and that praise is directed heavenward. "Come let us sing to the Lord". We do not sing to each other or for each other; rather we seek positively to glorify the real and living God in song. Realisation of this should expel silence. There are few things more ugly than seeing lips tightly shut when the praises of our great God are being sung. Not only should it expel silence; it should also banish a 'that will do' kind of praise. A real and living God is deserving of the best praise we can offer.

The psalmist reminds us that this real and living God that we sing to is also 'Jehovah ... the Rock of our Salvation'. We direct our praises not to a cold impersonal force but to a God whom we know and with whom we are in covenant relationship. We sing to the God who gives us salva­tion and who keeps our souls secure. We sing to a personal being whom we profess to love and trust. How can our praises be cold and impersonal when directed to such a God as this?

Our Praise Should Be Compulsive←⤒🔗

The most compelling reason for giving worship in praise to God is that he is worthy. The psalmist clearly demon­strates this.

He is the transcendent being (v3). There is nothing and no-one bigger than God. There is none his equal - none his superior. Nothing in heaven or earth or in hell can challenge his supremacy. He is not a being that in turn must give praise to a higher being greater than himself. He transcends all, and therefore is worthy.

He is the great creator (v5). The whole of the created order continually invites us to praise the one who made it. The hills, the sea, the sky, the fields — all should remind us of the greatness and the glory of our God who created them and in turn creates within us a compelling desire to praise him.

He is our maker (v4). The right response of the creature to the Creator is to fall down and worship. In the book of Revelation the twenty-four elders worship saying

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.

In recognising him as the one who made me and the one for whom I am made, I must recognise his right and my responsibility to offer him praise.

There is a fourth reason that compels us to praise. There is something greater than the creative brilliance of God. There is something more inspiring than the power and genius of God. It is that the same God who created all things, who transcends all things, loves me and is the Rock of my salvation. In Psalm 8 the psalmist stands outside on a clear starry night and scans the heavens. He is awed at the beauty and the vastness of all that God has made. He has a deep sense of his own puniness in com­parison to the huge universe out there. And then it hits him that the God who made this vast universe is the very same God whose heart goes out in love to puny little people like him. He can scarcely take it in. It is so perplexing that he asks "What is man, that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him?"

The holiness of God is awesome. The power of God is frightening. The majesty of God is overwhelming, but it is the love of God that is truly mind-blowing. Who can take it in? Who can understand the God who fills eternity, who sits on the throne of the universe, who is unchallenged in his su­premacy, who is flawless in his character and yet still loves and reaches out in mercy to sinful specks of his creation like you and me? We can't understand. All we can do is worship. If there is one thing that affects our singing for the worse more than an ignorance of tunes and solfa, of pitch and pace, it is the ignorance of God and of the greatness of his being and the wonder of his love. Once you know and sense this God, praising him is compulsive.

Our Praises Should Be Felt←⤒🔗

What is more important than the key we sing in? It is the spirit we sing in. Heartfelt praise from a tone deaf man is more acceptable to God than the offering of heartless praise with a voice like Pavarotti. Soul music is what we should offer, sincere and true. We are to sing with joyful hearts. The psalm speaks of a loud shout, a ringing cry of joy exploding from a heart touched by grace. We should be happy to give God praise. With unashamed enthusiasm we should be joyful in song. We are also to sing with thankful hearts. Praise is a thanksgiving offering. It flows from a feeling of indebtedness to the Rock of our salvation. It stems from a felt sense of thankfulness to the One who has given me all that I have in this world and who has made me all that I am in Christ Jesus. Surely we should never be satisfied to mindlessly go through the motions of praise. "Bless the Lord O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name".

Our Praises Should Be Together←⤒🔗

Solos are great. There is much value in singing praise to God when alone during times of personal devotion. However solos should only be per­formed when alone. When we are with God's people we should sing together. The psalm's invitation is "Come, let us sing to the Lord". It is so much easier to throw yourself into the praises of God when the person beside you is giving it their all. Let us make it easier for others to give heartfelt praise to God by ourselves singing from the heart.

Come, let us sing to the Lord.