What Exactly is High Praise?

Thank you Rich, for digging into the Logos/Word some more on this =) and sharing your thoughts and insights...

there's a time for each  - quiet, meditative worship, and loud, exuberant worship, and every level on the continuum between the 2...  it's like you said, we/crc seem to hang out on the quieter end, other than maybe when we hear the organ =)

here's something I posted somewhere on the network last year some time, but I'll post it again, because it is a beautiful example of high praise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KX2-J6uS-o 

Yesterday at church during worship, I felt the urge to give a shout when we were singing a line about Christ's victory over death. I am a person of few words who prefers to stay in the background, so I know it was the Holy Spirit encouraging me to shout out in worship. When I did, a few others joined in. It helped that the worship leader encouraged the congregation to worship in whatever way we felt led to. This is a pretty conservative bunch (Evangelical Free Church), so I am encouraged that God is definitely up to something good in our body.

This is so surreal reading through the comments and realising I am here in 2022 3.30am being directed by the holy spirit to read Ps 149 and further nudged to unpack what "high praise" means! And this is the first link I clicked into out of the several... So glad I obeyed and so at peace to know God still speaks and his word is alive and active and so should our praise!

John 4:23

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

The last 6 words are what I'd like to emphasize - If one seeks the Fathers presence, He is already looking for you - this is worthy of meditation

I have much to say on this subject.  To start I want to note I was never into high worship and honestly even if I knew the phrase I assumed it was just louder more intense worship. I would sing when I was alone but that was about it sure there was that flow but I had no idea just how much I was missing out both in this and in my relationship with him in general.. I cannot go into great detail right now as it would take a long time to write but my life from my birth  has been nothing but how life seems to love to show how unfair cruel and reasonable it can be seemingly for no reason. The scars and inner wounds that have dug into my heart as thorns piercing and making it bleed this is how I felt and even now it is not really gone.

But he and I ever since I was saved from the start have always a very deep very intimate kind of love and relationship, when I was saved it was actually because of how life had beaten me down and how my family had made me wonder what it feels like to actually be cared about to actually matter.

Lets just say the next morning after I broke down and begged him to come into my heart just so I could not be alone anymore well I require a lot of coffee to wake up in the morning pr at the very least it has to be pretty strong. Well I woke up that morning instantly filled with life itself you might not see it but it was as if an electric current was flowing through me in the form of fire and I would not be surprised at all if it was not just inside me but all around me I did my first true act of high worship and in my joy leaped out of bed and danced for him thanking and praising him.

For me I declared to him that day I kneeled down and swore an oath to him I wanted a covanant with him I called a coavnent of the hearts I saw in my mind my heart and his Oh if I could express in words the affection endearment and just absolute head over heels I poured into his heart in my mind I wrote the word mine on his heart in gold radiant letters I even went so far as to burn it on his heart I claimed him that day he was mine I was going to have him that heart of his the vast deep endless ocean that is heart I said to him how I was going to sink as deep as I am allowed into that ocean fakking deeper and deeper into the depths falling deeper and deeper in love with him as I sink into deep

He at the same time was doing the same thing pouring his love and affection into my heart this kind of love and affection in short is to much for the human body to contain it was only a small drop of his love and it was to much for my body to handle but if your soul was able to leap out of your soul believe me it would this love is far beyond anything you can fathon iy is so deep so rich so thick warm deep I just can't put it in words you instantly beg him to take you trust me that is the only response you are going to be able to speak your soul itself I felt it trying to leap out to him how I wanted to run into his arms so badly to just tackle him down bury my face into him and declare him as mine.

This was just how I expressed everything to him on that day and again without knowing it a high form of worship. He was always more to me than salvation, more thana savior more than my king and Lord it was always him that my hearts eyes saw even in the worst time even when I felt dead inside it was always him just him.

So things like this gave happened frequently with him and I all through out my ten years of of being saved I can honestly say what he and I had even then was not normal it would amaze people it would shock them they would always say I was a rare sort how the love and spirit of God seemed to just indwell in me and overflow 

I saw how many people who weren't Christians even this one women I encountered who truly is one of those people you only hear about life was far more cruel to her than even me and that is sayingg a lot but these people would always say how I was the first real Christian they have ever met simply because the love and care I showed this one women even broke down in tears just because I treated her like a human being.

But I recently at the beginn of this experienced God on an entirely different level due to a demonic attack that overwhelmed me bringing me to break down bawling in fear running out of my upstairs apartnment in the rain bare foot with a broken foot mind you.

But what came of it was a man who showed up to help and he put his hands on me began praying and said to me this is God doing this not me. 

Now I have had this done before nothing happens but I am still always open to it so suddenly the actual power of God slammed me I was so amazed so bewildered so in awe that I was just stunned and could only just sit there smiling the biggest smile like an idiot I would love to see wgat my face looked like oh man... but that day I didn't know it yet but that was the start of a journey with him that I had been waiting for from the start When we began this journey together we did so with a sworn oath to each other betrothed  from the beginning I made it clear to him I intended to go all in I wanted something more with him more than faith more than salvation more than love it is difficult to explain it is like such a deep level of intimacy closeness unity with him that it requires a new word to express but then waiting and seeking searchidng ti jbiw ecery thing I could of him doing whatever it took to deepend the love and bond between us but never able to really get there. But after my third attempt of suicide as life actually much more brutal after that my health becoming so bad with little to no help having to call 911 to go to the hospitalmany times so weak that I mostly lived in my bed but after the third attempted I was back home listening to worship music just being with him and I starting sining but my heart at that time was just expressing my affection for him we were really just talking and being together when I just started singing.

It started at first as normal but then something happened I felt a change in me uddenly I felt a barrier I suddenly as is given sight saw a barrier of praise. Though my heart was in it the singing I was given was only the beginning I knew he wanted me to get passed this barrier to reach something hidden something new

This is when the doors blew open I went into a state of worship and pay attention to that because that is important.

I was worshipping him and praising him with my entire being with every cell in my body every essence of my being. The holy joy and life that comes with such worship how suddenly the kingdom makes sense how suddenly you realize this is the key to opening the gates of heaven you see there is a whole other level with him that we are unaware of.

You know how there is a limit of the universe we are able to understand and see even with all the advancements in technology even though we gave aggressively researcged and studied but there is a point where the vast universe is beyond reach but the wonders and mysteries from what we have learned so far would completely bea game changer well it is like that with him/

I saw that he was calling to a new kind thing with him to go into that unknown with him to have what he has been promising this whole time all throughout scripture.

I was changed I was activated things with him were different now

I apologize for the long post but I just felt all this needed to be said I could if I was able go on and on boasting and expressing the absolute joy wonders life power that comes with such worship the very presence of God himself filled my room at least four times and that I won't even comment on as his presence requires a whole other post to even begin to explain but lets just say we are to chase after it for a reason

Here's some vintage live worship songs from 1977. Recorded live from somewhere in England,

These are all scripture set to music..

More for free download a vintageworshiptapes.com in mp3 format

I just checked and these are are not hot links so a copy/paste is needed - sorry.

I will call upon the Lord Psalm - 18:13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugVsur5ruhw

Who is like unto Thee - Exodus 15:11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eux5GgXH02E

Oh give thanks unto the Lord -  Psalm 107

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nDxPkkbsi0

We are a chosen people - 1Peter 2:9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5wArPzlJYc

Awake, Awake oh Zion -  Isaiah  52:1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioukm3F2umY

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving - Psalm 100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vytoofL7pQc

Hi all here,

I loaded the songs listed above to an mp3 player and by accident loaded the "Awake, Awake oh Zion" track twice. They play back to back on that device. Last week I was sitting on a stool in my wood shop listening to those songs and Awake played. As I listened I focused in on the drums. Then I spotted a couple of pencils on the bench and thought I'll have a go at playing along with the recorded drums when the song replayed. I did so and while I didn't keep time with the recording, when I set my heart on playing my "pencil drum" I became aware of a greater sense of GOD'S presence as I kept my focus on HIM. I think HE smiled.

Good morning family,

I am the recently-elected pastor of Coit Community CRC in Grand Rapids. Firstly, I thank you for delving into this matter. I have written and preached a plethora of sermons on halal and the different words for praise and how we glibly ignore them in the church. It is important; it is how Yahweh wishes to be acknowledged to the rest of the world. I do not think it is coincidental that when Yahweh shows up to reveal Himself to those outside the circle of faith, He does so in loud ways (thunder rolls, a sound "like" a mighty rushing wind, etc.).

Some things cannot escape our attention: 

1) There is no condition or adjetive of any sort used in the admonition of Psalm 150 other than "everything that has breath." Since we have breath, all of us are to use it to sing and shout highly of Yahweh, regardless of our skin tone, or typical volume level.

2) I believe you hit the nail on the head when you stated "We have no problem cheering and shouting out loud at a concert or a match-up of some of our favorite sports teams..." In fact, I would point out that the context of Psalm 100 is the coronation of Yahweh as King upon the return from exile. Worshipping a deity with loud sound was not esoteric to Israel by any means. That is just like worshipping our favorite teams, artists, and musicians (and even politicians-Yahweh help us!) with loud sounds seems normal, but how much more should that type of emotion be reserved for our King?

3) Ancient temple/synagogue worship was in no way quiet. Those worship services were quite loud-even with the congregants responding to and queustioning the ones preaching WHILE they preached. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 14.

There is more, and I do have sources if requested, but I must go now. I am certainly trying to get the membership of Coit to be more expressive but not because that's my Baptist upbringing, but because it is biblical AND practical. A good shout is cathartic. A good shout alerts others for battle. A good shout is the best type of advertisement. I encourage us all to enter into worship with a free spirit, and remember WHO we worship. How dare we ever withhold what He wants from us because of who we are or how we feel. May it never be! 

This is a copy of a conversation I posted on another site from May 25, 2023. I have continued to study praise / worship and have found that they are not the same thing. We have erred by using the 2 words interchangeably. Praise is a step toward spiritual worship but  at a higher level than praise. The pattern for approaching the Father is shown in a physical example of Moses" wilderness tabernacle. To even enter the outer court a blood sacrifice was was required - we now have Jesus to pay for our entry. Next is the altar where the sacrifice was burned. Next was the laver where we are cleansed by the washing of the word - for us, this is bible reading. At this point only the priest can enter the Holy place for communion. For today Jesus has said He made us a kingdom of priests and kings so we can enter there. At this point praise was probably ongoing. The next step is going past the veil into the presence of the Father - back then it would have been in total fear with a rope tied around an ankle in case the priest had sin in his heart and was struck dead. Other priests would have pulled him out via the rope.For today the word says we can approach the Father with boldness and confidence. This is where true worship occurs. Beholding the Father as He is and worshiping for that reason.

copy/paste from another site

I wanted to share with you events from this past monday. I was listening to some vintage contemporary music - Andre Crouch - and was allowed to enter dance before the Lord. This was extraordinary because David just does not dance. Never have - ever. I danced with my daughter at her wedding reception and that was just moving in a circle . But monday I actually danced with both feet moving and kept time with the rhythm of the song. This was followed by a couple of minutes of actual worship entering into GODs manifest presence. It was glorious! Afterwards the reality of salvation was much more fresh, brighter.

I have been absent from keeping up with thread due to illness. I was given covid and eventually my left lower leg was amputated due to blood clots. Several months in the hospital and rehab. This is the short story - there are more details, if you're interested please ask and I'll share the whole story. In the mean time    I can still dance before the LORD!

Please bare with me as my compositional skills are lacking.

For the most part the disciples wrote their gospel accounts from personal experience - first hand accounts. This is what I now write.

My wife and I were saved in Oct 1972. I was baptised in the Holy Spirit about 2 weeks later confirmed with speaking in tongues. Now onto the church service pattern.

The body gathered twice on sunday and again on wed. There was a prayer room just off the sanctuary and several gathered to pray prior to the service. These prayers were mostly to break through into what is better called spiritual worship rather than high praise. Scripture reference Hebrews 12  22-24 which shows the saints that have passed on seeing the Father and giving worship because they actually see HIM. "'to the spirits of just men made perfect." I think this is the place that has been called 'high praise' but is actually spiritual worship.

We would sing fairly short songs mostly scripture with usually a 2 to 3 repeat. Then the congregation would move into individual / corporate worship. This would last maybe 2 to 5 minutes. The manifest presence of GOD was usually very heavy. Some shouting, some clapping hands, some tamborines. Then followed a silence of several minutes as we waited before the Lord waiting to see if He would speak to us through prophecy. At that time prophecy did not mead foretelling the future but "for exhortation edification or comfort." (scripture quote escapes me at the moment). The entire praise/worship period was led my the Holy Spirit. We sang what He led us to sing and quit when He led us to. Sometimes there were 'words of knowledge' and/or  words of wisdom' 

We had only a piano and organ as instruments.We also had only one person at the pulpit to maintain order. Very little stuff on stage which are actually distractions to entering into spiritual worship.

There seems to be a place in worship were our worship here on earth mixes with the worship of the saints in heaven and a very strong flow of the Holy Spirit happens. They worship because they can see whom they worship while we worship in faith.

When leaving the church I carried that manifest presence with me and it lasted several days. We went back on wed night for a fresh filling. That presence seems to have a liquid attribute that sort of fades - at least for me.

Living at this level will bring spiritual opposition. Our enemy hates this level of danger to what he calls his. So if you seek to go to this level - be ready for pushback. Also be comforted that as Jesus told the woman at the well "The Father seeks those that will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.' We will have protection from the Father as we travel this road. Perhaps a comparison of an armed navy seal versus a boy scout with a pocket knife is good. 

To the best of my ability I'll answer and questions.

David Womack