Mensa Otabil - Singing and Shouting (10/06/2025)
We’ve talked about singing and worshiping the Lord with our song and our praise. We must sing a new song, and what we think must be in the Word of God. We must declare God’s works in our singing. So we look at Isaiah chapter 44, verse 23: «Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forests, and every tree in it; for the Lord has redeemed Jacob and glorified Himself in Israel.»
Sometimes, singing to the Lord involves shouting, and there is a place for shouting in our singing or making a loud noise. Raising our voice in a song establishes intensity; it shows the depth of our heart and how serious we are about what we are singing. It demonstrates a deeper and higher response to what God has done. I like this particular statement or oracle from Isaiah: «Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!» I feel like announcing that to somebody this morning-that the Lord has done it! Because the Lord has done it, He says shout to Him. One of the reasons we shout to the Lord is because something unexpected has happened.
The passage says that what God has done is so great and enormous that all of nature joins in celebrating His mighty works. All creation rejoices in what God is doing, and it says the mountains shout and the depths, the valleys, are also shouting. This does not necessarily mean that mountains by themselves praise God; it is a figure of speech to say that everything God has created expresses the joy of the Lord, especially when the Lord does marvelous things in our sight.There are times when a solemn song is not enough to express what God has done.
It’s similar to what happens when we are at a football match or watching a football match, and our team scores the winning goal. You don’t just look at that fabulous goal and say, «Go!» You raise your voice and shout for the goal, making a loud noise and even dancing. Why do you do that? Because something extraordinary has happened! If we would do that for a goal that has been scored, what if God turns our captivity, redeems us, and does something great for us? You can’t just say, «I praise You, Lord.» No, you have to shout to the Lord; you have to declare; you have to make a loud noise. Some of you need to go to church on Sunday and make a loud noise because God has done mighty things for you. When He does mighty things for us, we shout to His name.
The people were told to shout because God had redeemed them from captivity. This shout commemorates when God brought Israel out of captivity from the nations they had been dispersed to: Babylon, Assyria, and later Persia. God brought them back to their land. God tells Isaiah to tell them to shout because the Lord has done it. He has redeemed His people; He has turned their captivity around; He has changed the situation. And when He does, you shout.
The second reason He says to shout is that the Lord has glorified Himself. What does that mean? God said He would do it, and He has done it. He promised, and He has fulfilled His promise. He told you, and He has done it. Anytime God honors His Word in your life, that’s what you do: you don’t just sing, but you shout to the Lord; you make a loud noise at home and in church, celebrating the goodness of the Lord for what He has done. So today, I say to somebody, the Lord has done it! Shout to Him and give Him praise; He has done marvelous things in your sight.
Let us pray together. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You have done it today! My heart is joyful; my lips break forth with shouts of praise. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.