Oh My Soul - wk1

"Oh My Soul"

 Bryan Jones

Praise means “expressing admiration or approval.”  When someone praises you, you feel valued.  A recent Gallup poll concluded that employees who receive regular praise are more productive, engaged, and more likely to stay with their organization.  Praising someone strengthens your relationship with that person.  Praise is powerful.
 
For those who follow Jesus, praise and worship go hand in hand.  You could say that worship is the language of the soul.  Worship is a place where you get lost in God’s presence, and from that place comes praise for who God is and what He has done.
 
Starting this Sunday we are going to spend five weeks talking about worship in a sermon series called “Oh My Soul.”  We will start this Sunday with a look at what the Old Testament teaches us about praise.  In the Hebrew language, there are seven different words used for praise, and each of them has its own unique meaning.  Some words translated as “praise” mean “to throw up your hands.” Others describe loud shouting.  Some refer to playing an instrument.  Others describe hope in the midst of hopelessness, anticipating God’s saving grace while we are still in our troubles.
 
So this Sunday we’re going to look at each of those words as they are used in the Psalms.  We’re going to join together in an anthem of praise as we worship God with our hearts and our minds … in spirit and truth.