{"id":801,"date":"2009-06-21T04:01:14","date_gmt":"2009-06-21T04:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/06\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-56.html"},"modified":"2009-06-21T04:01:14","modified_gmt":"2009-06-21T04:01:14","slug":"sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-56","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/06\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-56.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clap and Shout!<\/h3>\n

READ Psalm 47:1-9<\/a><\/p>\n

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
\nShout to God with joyful praise!<\/p>\n

Psalm 47:1<\/a><\/p>\n

In yesterday\u2019s reflection, I mentioned that I am not wired for stillness, but rather for activity and worry. So I need the invitation of Psalm 46:10 to challenge me to be still and know that God is God.
\nWell, in truth, I\u2019m not wired for clapping my hands and shouting to God, either. My ancestors came from northern Europe, where people associate reverence with reservation. Something in my genes prefers to worship God quietly and carefully. Thus it\u2019s no surprise that I found a home within the Presbyterian church. We\u2019re happy to have our choirs singing joyously about clapping and shouting. But we certainly don\u2019t want to do it ourselves! That feels almost indecent and disorderly.
\nThere is surely a time to worship God in quiet and stillness. Psalm 46:10 suggests this. Habakkuk explicitly calls for silence in response to God\u2019s holy presence (2:20). Yet Scripture repeatedly calls us to worship the Lord with vigorous physical expression. Psalm 47:1 joins a chorus of passages that call us to use our bodies in worship by clapping, shouting, standing, singing, lifting our hands, and so on.
\nWhy is this important? Psalm 47 explains that physically expressive worship is a fitting response to God\u2019s awesomeness and power. Even as a crowd would cheer for a king, so we ought to honor the King of kings. Moreover, when we invest our body in active worship, we often find that our hearts are stirred with love for God. Plus, we get to practice loving God with all of our strength, so that we might live fully for him each day.
\nSome Christians need to learn how to worship with greater zest, yes, even with more volume. Other Christians need to learn how to be\u00a0quiet in God\u2019s presence, so they might hear the still, small voice of his Spirit. Frankly, I need both.
\nQUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: Do you find it easier to be\u00a0quiet before God or to clap and shout? Why? What helps you to be freer in offering yourself in worship to God?
\nPRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Lord, you know I don\u2019t find it natural to clap for you or shout my praise to you. I know that you receive my worship with gladness, even when it\u2019s quiet. But I also know that I need to discover the freedom of greater expression in worship. Help me, Lord, to offer you more of myself, more of my body, more of my voice, more of my whole self to you.
\nEven as I need to grow in being still before you, I also need to become more expressive of my love for you. By your Spirit, I ask for new freedom and joy in worship. May I hold nothing back as I love you with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, and all of my strength. Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

<\/a>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nHere’s how . . . . <\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clap and Shout! READ Psalm 47:1-9 Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! Psalm 47:1 In yesterday\u2019s reflection, I mentioned that I am not wired for stillness, but rather for activity and worry. So I need the invitation of Psalm 46:10 to challenge me to be still and know that God…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/06\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-56.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Clap and Shout! READ Psalm 47:1-9 Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! Psalm 47:1 In yesterday\u2019s reflection, I mentioned that I am not wired for stillness, but rather for activity and worry. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}