Honest Offering: A 6-Day Devotional With CAIN预览

Sing All Day, Sing All Night

(Praise Opens Prison Doors)

Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
2 Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness.

3 Praise him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and flute.
5 Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.

6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

—Psalm 150

Have you ever wondered what genre of music plays in heaven? When you read about countless people singing “Worthy is the Lamb,” do you hear it as a classical piece or something more contemporary? The possibilities are endless! Solomon wrote a ballad (Song of Songs). Some of the songs David wrote have the feel of heavy metal (Psalm 55:15). And Miriam wrote a celebratory song that could lean into the genre of hip-hop or dance (Exodus 15:20-21).

God is the creator of music, and He created us with hearts to praise Him. Not only that, but He has called us to it—in every moment, mood, and circumstance. God is worthy of our praise all day and all night. He is worthy because of what He has done and who He is.

So we sing what we know about God. And when our circumstances leave us unsure about what we know, we sing it anyway and ask God to make those truths real. This is the example we find in God’s Word.

When a huge and powerful enemy came to attack King Jehoshaphat, he put the singers in front of his army. They sang praises to God, and they won (2 Chronicles 20:1-23). When Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, and thrown in prison, they started singing praises to God at midnight, and the prison doors flew open (Acts 16:22-26).

God uses our praises to open the doors that block us from the fullness of life in Him.

In heaven, God is praised. On earth, God is to be praised. When He is, no matter the music genre or worship style, chains begin to break. Our praise shakes the walls, and the light overcomes the darkness that wants to envelop our hearts.

• Listen to CAIN’s “Praise Opens Prison Doors.” What lyrics stand out to you as particularly encouraging? Which stand out to you as most challenging?

• When you consider the lyrics, “Swing open wide,” what need in your life comes to mind?
• Thank God for being wholly worthy of all praise. Ask Him to teach you to continually praise Him even when you’re uncertain about your circumstance.