Praise with understanding

We are in a constant state of bombardment of advertisements, music and entertainment. It's on TV, radio, the internet and on the road. The one piece of content that attracts the most viewers or participants is sports. It feeds our need for competition and victory. The good thing about it is that it unites people supporting a team and allows an avenue for loud expression. Psalms 47 is about praising and cheering for God but verse 7 jumped out at me.

Psalms 47:7
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

Don't get me wrong. I love loud praise and expressive worship. But this verse says sing praises with understanding. In the same way many are carried away with the music, the celebrity performing, or the crowd, we can get carried away with praising God without understanding.

The Word of God is rich. From ancient times people were encouraged to read the Word of God. They read it weekly in the synagogues from scrolls. When bibles were printed, it became available to the average person. Through much pain it was translated into locally spoken languages starting with Latin and then English. I am thankful that I am able to read and understand the scriptures. This helps me praise with understanding and KNOW Him.

Father, music, good lyrics, and great voices are good, but I praise You because I know You.

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