Shout for joy in the Lord. O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
– Psalm 33:1
I love this verse. I love the picture it gives of emotion and affection, jubilation and celebration that should mark all those who know God. Now obviously, this doesn’t mean that we are just jumping up and down when we walk through every circumstance and challenge in this world. The Psalms are filled with laments and cries for help. At the same time, the Psalms are also filled with jubilation and celebration, and even sometimes in the hard things we walk through in this world.
I think about the Book of Luke when Luke records Jesus telling us what to do when people speak all kinds of evil falsely against us on his account. Jesus says, “Leap for joy when that happens.” How do you do that? How do you jump up and down for joy when people are lying about you? How does that happen? Well, it happens when you know God. That’s the whole picture. Praise befits the upright, you who are righteous. You who are in relationship with God, you have reason to shout for joy in the Lord.
Psalm 33:1 pictures joyful worship as a natural response to knowing God.
So I just want to ask you, when was the last time you shouted for joy? Shouted. That’s what Psalm 33:1 is saying, “Shout for joy in the Lord.”
You think, “Well, I’m not that kind of outward emotional person.” And oh, I think about the culture where I live, where people go crazy with emotion over a bunch of guys running around on a field with a pigskin in their hands trying to cross a white line, or in similar ways in cultures around the world with a ball they’re kicking with their feet. If we go crazy, if our emotions are so caught up in sports, or substitute so many other things in this world, how much more should our emotions and affections be caught up in our God, in the Lord? This is why it says, “Praise befits the upright.” It just makes sense.
When you’re watching a sporting event and your team does something good, if you’re just standing there looking like you’re bored to tears, you’re like, “Ah, this doesn’t really make sense. It doesn’t befit what it means to be a fan of this team.” Well, in a far deeper way, if we don’t have affection, or emotion in our God, then there’s something missing. There’s something off. And I’m not saying it has to look the same for every single person, but Psalm 33:1 is making very clear, there should be times of shouting for joy, in all of our lives, with praise that makes sense for people who know our God.
Psalm 33:1 shows how our affections should be centered on God.
And so God, we pray that you would align our affections and our emotions in our worship, in ways that are appropriate for people who know you and love you with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Oh, God, we pray that our emotions and affections that are tied to things in this world would pale in comparison to the emotion and affection we feel in our relationship with you. Make us a people who shout, praise, and worship. As we’ve prayed before, alongside weeping, and lamenting, and confessing, and repenting, and so many other activities in our worship.
We pray for holistic worship in our lives. And God, we pray in light of the direction so many of these Psalms go… That the nations would hear our shouting… That people would see our joy in the Lord and be drawn to you… And that they would see your glory in the way we worship.
Prayer for the Kolawar People
God, we pray for the Kolawar people of India… For this people group that’s worshiping millions and millions of gods who are not worthy of glory. You alone are the one true God. So, God, we pray that you would help us and your church around the world. Help us spread your glory in a way that shows the joy, strength, peace, life, and hope found in you. Oh, God, we pray all this according to your Word in Psalm 33:1. In Jesus’ name, we pray and we shout, Amen
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
