Praise and Worship

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 19th of March, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Psalms 50:23:

“Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;…”

Then we go straight to the Book of Acts 16:25-26:

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”

Oh, this morning how are you feeling? Are you feeling bound with chains of fear, stress, depression, anxiety? Why don’t you try praising the Lord? You know, there is incredible power in praising the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ inhabits the praise and the worship of His people. One of the strengths of the Salvation Army is their singing and their brass band as they march down the streets, singing the praises of God. 

We have a boy's school not far from us, up in the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains. They major in music and singing, and before their voices break, they sing. Aah, I want to tell you, ladies I love listening to you singing but when these little boys sing, they reach pitches that no woman can reach as high, and I really feel the presence of Almighty God when these little boys praise and worship the Lord with their instruments and their voices. 

With the Mighty Men Conferences all over the world, the highlight for me is the praise and worship. It absolutely melts the hearts of hardened men, men who come there who are angry, men who come there who are fighting the good fight and they are down and out, and when the music starts, you want to really see it, it is incredible. You know, they say they can hear us singing from 15 kms away, that’s about 8 miles away, when you get tens of thousands of men entering into praise and worship. No wonder the prison gates flew open and the chains fell off the prisoners!

I love to watch them. I get a bird’s eye view from the platform, tens of thousands. When the music starts they stand there with their arms folded, they are shy maybe, embarrassed, maybe some angry and then as the music proceeds, their arms drop down by their sides, and then after a few more minutes, their hands start wiping tears away from their faces, and then eventually their hands are raised up into the sky, worshipping their King, totally unaware and unconcerned of anybody around them. Then of course that “Amen”, that war cry. “Amen” by the way means, “so be it” and the devil runs for his life.

Jesus bless you. Today go out and praise and sing to the glory of God!
Goodbye.