Gospel Prism

Some think that clapping during worship is nothing more than a pavlovian response following the majority and therefore, refuse to do so. Or clapping is only a pavlovian response, and is no difference than the toy monkey that beats the drum when wound up. But Mark Altrogge makes such a great point about clapping during worship. He comments on Psalm 47:1-2 which says:

Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.

And then he writes:

The thing I love about this Psalm is that God gives us both the what and the why. He commands us to clap our hands and to sing to God with loud songs of joy. This isn’t a command based on personality type. It’s not reserved for extroverts. All people are called to clap and to sing loud songs of joy to God. Why? Because he is the Lord Most High. He’s the great king who rules over all the earth. In light of God’s glorious majesty, clapping and loud songs are the right response! It wouldn’t be right to always be silent and reflective in the presence of God. His beauty and glory call for more.

Let’s be encouraged by this Psalm to move toward loud, expressive worship of God. In church, in the car, in the shower. Yes, worship is matter of the heart. You can belt it out without giving a rip about God. But true worship doesn’t stay in the heart. It animates the hands to clapping and the vocal chords to loud songs.