Praise looks lovely on the lips of God’s devoted lovers. (Psalm 33:1 TPT)
This morning I was reading Psalm 33 in The Passion Translation. I came across these verses:
Play the guitar as you lift your praises loaded with thanksgiving. Sing and make joyous music with all you’ve got inside. Compose new melodies that release new praises to the Lord. Play his praises on instruments with the anointing and skill he gives you. Sing and shout with passion; make a spectacular sound of joy— (Psalm 33:2 TPT)
I didn’t remember ever reading the word “guitar” in the Bible – probably because the instrument we know of as a guitar didn’t exist in ancient times, so more literal translations of the Bible talk about a lyre or a harp or a stringed instrument:
Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. (Psalm 33:2 NIV)
Praise the Lord with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. (Psalm 33:2 NKJV)
And some more modern Bible versions that are not literal translations take the wording even farther into our century:
Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising. Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano! Compose your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare. (Psalm 33:2 MSG)
While studying the specific words of a Bible verse can be an interesting exercise, I don’t believe this passage is suggesting that everyone must play lyres, guitars, harps, pianos, or any particular instrument in Christian worship. Rather, these verses are a call for God’s people to praise and worship Him with music—whether instrumental, vocal, with shouts, or through new, joyful songs. They invite us to recognize the gifts and talents within our church body that enable us to offer music to the Lord.
These verses also encourage us to seek the Holy Spirit’s presence and anointing in our worship through music. And they remind us that the same God who created the entire universe is also the Creator of music, which we can use to give Him praise.
As we gather today for corporate worship, let us pray:
Yahweh,
You are our awe-inspiring Creator, faithful to all your promises. You are trustworthy, and everything you do is reliable and right. Thank you for the redemption we have through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the Holy Spirit within believers, enabling us to worship you in spirit and truth.
We are grateful for the gifts and talents you’ve placed within the Body of Christ, allowing us to offer them back to you in praise and worship. Thank you for the songwriters who, tuned to your Spirit, create the songs you want us to sing and play for you. Thank you for the dedicated musicians—organists, pianists, drummers, guitarists, and others—who support our corporate worship. We also thank you for the accomplished vocalists who lead songs, sing in choirs, and help local churches lift their voices in praise.
As your congregations gather today for worship, we pray for your blessing and favor upon these musicians. Pour out new songs through your Spirit. Give them fresh insight into how to approach your Throne of Glory and lead your people in worship. Stir a new hunger for the things of your Spirit, especially a deeper personal worship of you.
Grant them a desire to honor you in all they do, that their lives might be examples to others. Bless them as they offer their time and talents as a sacrifice of praise. Holy Spirit, anoint these musicians so that your Church, worldwide, can continue to sing the songs of praise and worship you so richly deserve.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.
It’s time to sing and shout for joy!
Go ahead, all you redeemed ones, do it!
Praise him with all you have,
for praise looks lovely on the lips of God’s devoted lovers.
Play the guitar as you lift your praises loaded with thanksgiving.
Sing and make joyous music with all you’ve got inside.
Compose new melodies that release new praises to the Lord.
Play his praises on instruments
with the anointing and skill he gives you.
Sing and shout with passion; make a spectacular sound of joy—
For God’s Word is something to sing about!
He is true to his promises, his word can be trusted,
and everything he does is reliable and right.
The Lord loves seeing justice on the earth.
Anywhere and everywhere you can find his faithful, unfailing love!
All he had to do was speak by his Spirit-Wind command,
and God created the heavenlies.
Filled with galaxies and stars,
the vast cosmos he wonderfully made.
His voice scooped out the seas.
The ocean depths he poured into vast reservoirs.
With breathtaking wonder,
let everyone worship Yahweh, this awe-inspiring Creator. (Psalm 33:1-8 TPT)
But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24 AMP)