I awoke with the old hymn, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, on my mind. Since then, I've been thinking about the words and what they mean. At first, I thought it meant we need a choir of a thousand singers all singing at once. I got out an old hymnal and read the words and checked it out on the internet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_for_a_Thousand_Tongues_to_Sing . The song was one of more than 6,000 hymns written by Charles Wesley and recalls the words of Peter Bohler, who said, "Had I a thousand tongues I would praise him with them all". I believe the author is saying that his one voice is not enough, that we need God's help if we are to praise him worthly.
Somehow, I too feel inadaquate, unable to offer praise that he is deserving of. I wish that I could praise Jesus in many different ways. I wish that I could play a musical instrument and make beautiful music for him. I wish I had a voice like Allison Krauss to sing sweet songs for him. I wish that I could write songs like Andrew Peterson whose lyrics are amazing. But alas, I was not gifted in these areas.
So what am I to do? My desire is to praise him, but my abilities are limited. It may take some creative thinking, but there are ways that I can praise God. I can clap my hands. I can lift them in adoration. I can sing, maybe not perfectly, but sing none the less and make a joyful noise to the Lord. I can speak, extoling his greatness. I can dance and kneal down, posturing myself to show my love for him. I can write a poem, a letter, or a prayer offering my heart in obedience to him.
Maybe you can think of other ways to praise our Savior and God. I would love to hear your ideas and the ways that you praise him.
Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
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