Clap for the Lord!

Have you ever clapped — just for the Lord? Not during a church service after a worship song, or after a good sermon, but to acknowledge Him by yourself, maybe in a quiet moment … perhaps when you’re on a hike and you’re taking in the beauty of your surroundings, or maybe the sunrise of a new day, or the miracle of a child’s birth?

A Time of Need

The first time this truly struck me was during a season of fervent prayer over a troubling diagnosis. The initial report I received weighed heavily on me and so to vent my concerns, I called one of my sisters — in tears. She listened patiently as I explained everything, then I started to dump some of my fears on her. That’s when she stopped me in my tracks and said, "Stop. Are you going to ignite faith, or are you going to ignite fear? Pray!” Those were the firm words I needed to hear. I needed to strengthen myself in the Lord, like David did during a time of great distress (1 Samuel 30:6).

As I was already accustomed to doing, I went to my usual place of prayer, the floor of my bedroom and sought the Lord’s strength, guidance, and comfort. For weeks, I prayed through Scriptures, and waves of emotions, until one day, I abruptly sat up…looked around…dried my tears and closed my prayer time out. Something shifted in my heart — I surrendered, and I was in perfect peace. I said, “Your will be done, Lord. I trust You.”

The following day, I decided to do my normal prayer time in my kitchen. No one was home so I had more privacy and space to walk around and pray freely, even play my worship music loudly if I chose. At some point as I was praying, the words “Psalm 47” came into my mind like a picture. I immediately opened my Bible to that chapter and read the first two lines:

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

A Royal Psalm

I dropped to my knees, with my Bible in hand, and started clapping for the Lord. I clapped triumphantly, with tears rolling down my cheeks in thanksgiving. As I did, I had a knowing in my spirit that I was healed — before I had one test done.

I read through Psalm 47, clapping the whole time at verses like:

For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is the great King over all the earth. (Clap, Clap)

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. (Clap, Clap)

Sing praises to God, sing praises! (Clap, Clap)

Sing praises to our King, sing praises! (Clap, Clap)

For God is the King of the all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. (Clap, Clap).

God reigns over the nation; God sits on His holy throne. (Clap, Clap)

That entire Psalm overflows with praises truly worthy of our attention, and not just that one, but so many others throughout the Bible. There are countless verses that call for celebration, where we should clap our hands and shout with a voice of triumph! Have you ever done that? Just clapped for the Lord? Try it the next time you read your Bible…you might be surprised by how powerful it feels.

A Regular Practice

I still went for all my tests and jumped for joy when the doctor said he found nothing even though I already knew in my heart that it was in that moment of prayer in my kitchen that God had already done the work — and He wanted me to clap. He wanted me to acknowledge Him as the triumphant One over the situation, before I approached the alternatives.

Since that time, I always remember to clap for the Lord. Whether it’s in meetings with the JCM team, or occasions with my family — if there is something we’re celebrating, or there’s been an answered prayer, or something else, I’ll say, “Clap for the Lord,” and we’ll start clapping (and laughing) …because He’s triumphant!

So clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome and He is the great King over all the earth!

And THAT is something to clap for!

God Bless You,

Carole