Towdah

Towdah comes from the same principle root word as yadah, but is used more specifically. Towdah literally means, "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance."

By way of application, it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for "things not yet received" as well as things already at hand.

This form of praise happens just because we KNOW that His Word is true.  Its applying God's Word to our lives!  We may not have experienced it yet.  We may be waiting for peace, joy, deliverance, provision... we might not feel like a new creation, or His bride,  or able to be used, yet because He has promised it, we agree in faith with His Word, and we lift our hands in agreement and acceptance of what He has promised.  In Scripture God is seen holding out His right hand to us... this is a covenant... so we raise our right hand, accepting His covenant.  I love that picture!!! 

Psalm 50: 14  " Offer to God a [sacrifice of thanksgiving] towdah and pay your vows to the Most High;  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

Psalm 50: 23a "He who offers a [sacrifice of thanksgiving] towdah honors Me;"

This is why I have no problem now, singing words to songs that I don't feel / or don't see that have happened in my life... because I know it is what God wants for me, and I can "claim" it... "All that I adore is in You..." - sometimes not true, to be honest... but I want it to be true, and as He molds me and forms my heart, He will make it true. 

May be you have sung "You are my healer..." - you may not feel completely healed emotionally or physically.  AND YET,  you know He is the Healer, and His plan is not to leave you broken and hurting, but to heal you and to allow you to experience the FULLNESS of His life in you.  WHOLENESS... in every part of us.

OK - llok for the finale this week!! - surely!

YADAH - yaw-daw – 3034 literally to use the hand .  To worship with the extended hand.  

IT comes from two root words… YAD which means the open hand, direction, power.  And AH which has reference to Jehovah.  Together it would mean “Hands to God”.  The giving of oneself in worship and adoration. To lift your hands unto the Lord. It carries the meaning of absolute surrender as a young child does to a parent - "pick me up, I'm all yours". 

Scriptures: Gen. 29:35, 2 Chron. 7:6, 20:21, Psalms 9:1, 28:7, Psalms 33:2, 42:5,11, 49:18, Isaiah 12:1

In practice, how do we do this?   … raise your hands in surrender.  Be specific.  List the ways, the areas, the desires of you heart that you are surrendering.  Don’t use it as a blanket statement, but as a specific act of worship, touching every area of your life… Ask Him to bring to mind every area He would like you to surrender (and He will!)  I know it is a heart thing… BUT I do believe that lining up our physical with the spiritual is very effective.  It’s not about feeling awkward.  Cause it might.

I remember clearly the first time I raised my hands in a church service.  It felt awkward, but it was an act of obedience.  I felt funny, what if people see me, BUT I clearly sensed God saying to me… raise your hands.  We were singing a song that had that phrase in there.

Father God has blessed us with His Word.  His Word tells us that He sees our circumstances and desires to show Himself on our behalf… He is READY and WILLING to perform His Word!  And we know He hears our prayers when we pray according to His will.

If we truly believe He sees and hears our prayers, we will have an expectation of victory.  We will stop striving to DO ourselves… and raise our hands, and surrender to HIM.

2Chr 20:21
Give thanks (yadah) to the Lord, for his lovingkindness is everlasting.

Ps 63:1
So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will (yadah) lift up my hands in thy name.

Ps 107:15
Oh that men would praise (yadah) the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

Prayer:  Each week we pray for a different church.  During MJ (pastor) and my meeting on Tuesday, we were interrupted by a lady commenting on our Bible Study, who turned out to be the pastor's wife of the Baptist church we prayed for... Isn't that so neat?  So we got to share with her how we prayed for them, and she said, "that was SO God, as they needed it." - pretty neat, huh?!?!

Immortal, Invisible (with an organ and congos... it was pretty neat!)  I love this hymn

I shared about corporate worship, and the unity it brings.  Story of Jehosaphat from 2 Chronicles 20:2-9, and how worship was used for spiritual warfare.  How it takes us into God's presence where the Enemy has no choice but to flee.         Psalm 22:3 and Matthew 18:20.  This fires me up... the mental pictures it evokes as, in one accord, we lift up God's name...

Holy Is the Lord (Chris Tomlin)

We Fall Down

Agnus Dei

Teaching Phillipians 2:1- ? :)

Break Our Hearts

Sweet Mercies

Communion  - we did it different this time.  We served it to each other, in the "theme" of unity and one body... and we said this to each other, based on Phillipians 2:1-2

"Because we both belong to Christ I offer you any encouragement you might need as my (brother/sister) in Christ Jesus.

Because we both belong to Christ I offer you comfort from Christ Jesus' unconditional love for you as well as my love for you.

Because we both share the same Holy Spirit I offer you my fellowship, to truly know you and be known by you.

Because you are my (brother/sister) in Christ I give you my affection and my compassion.

All of this, I give to you as I serve you this symbol of Christ Jesus' body and blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins that we may be joined together in perfect unity with God and with each other as we wait for Christ to return and take us, His bride, to be with Him forever.

(Then a prayer for the person)

Amen

Let Thy Kingdom Come

TEHILLAH -teh-hil-law- to sing, to laud a hymn. A spontaneous new song. Singing from a melody in your heart by adding words to it.   Usually translated praise.

  "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving (Towdah) and into His courts with praise (Tehillah)" Psalm 100:4.

To enter into the gates... part way! - through thanksgiving (towdah - confession - of who God is)  

The entrance into the court, the inner place, the perceived manifested presence of the Father inside His court, is through Tehillah.

  When Solomon completed all the work for the house of the Lord, the singers and musicians "...were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising (Halah) and thanking (Yadah) the Lord, and when they lifted their voice with the trumpets and symbols and instruments of music, and praise (Halah) the Lord, ... the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." 2 Chronicles 5:1,13,14.

  In other words when they gave Tehillah, which means to sing Halah, the presence of God manifested and filled the Temple. It was while they were ministering; singing and playing music in praise, that God manifested Himself through His glory.

7623    shabach (shaw-bakh') to address in a loud tone, a loud adoration, a shout! Proclaim with a loud voice.  This would imply that you were unashamed, that you had a joyful and overflowing attitude. To testify of what God has done.

Psalms 145

Verse 4 "One generation shall praise (Shabach) Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts."

Verse 6 "Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness."

Psalm 63:3 “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise (Shabach) You.”

Psalm 5:11 "But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You."

 Psalm 32:11 "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart."

Psalm 17:1  "Oh clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!"

Psalm 132:13-16; "For the Lord has chosen Zion (we, the church are Zion); He has desired it for His dwelling place (that is ME!!): "This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her godly ones shall shout aloud for joy."

Ezra 3:10-13: "When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David King of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel. Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the Father's houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off"

Do I have joy overflowing that would make me break forth in a shout?  That would allow me to be undignified and uninhibited?  It is JOY that releases us to shout.  That is part of the Holy Spirit’s fruit… not happiness, but joy. IT is promised to us!!  From deep down, a small understanding of ALL God has done for me.  From what He has spared me, saved me from, set me free of, His MERCY, His Sacrificial LOVE, His POWER, His SALVATION, His anointing on my life… where joy comes from.  HIM

Psalm 98:4 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, ALL the earth (not just charismatics J)  Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.”

I feel very passionately about our passionateless (is that a word) worship.  It is NOT how it should be.  It is not scriptural.  It is not Spirit led.  It is not REAL!!  It is not the life, everyday or corporately, that Jesus Christ intended for us.

Please note what I am NOT saying in the previous paragraph.

o        Passionate worship looks like / or sounds like “insert my favorite style J “

o        We should be shouting every time we worship.

I don’t know what the answer is… I am just pretty sure I haven’t got it yet, and the majority of churches I have been to… they haven’t either!!  SO let’s not get in a “worship rut” – that’s an oxymoron!! – stretch ourselves… What does God want to show me?  Privately or in your gathering of believers.

Precious Jesus, I want to be closer to You.  I need a belly that hungers for more of Your word, and a heart that seeks only Your love.  I want to think Your thoughts.  I want to have eyes that see things as You see them.  I want eyes to see YOU.  Ears that respond immediately to the voice of God and the Holy Spirit, that recognize Him, because I am intimate with You.  And my box is flattened. I don’t want to hold You back.  I don’t want to hold You in.  Overwhelm me with You, and may You pour forth out of me in praise and adoration, testimony after testimony that gives glory to You.

Paul, when he said to "be being filled with the Spirit," compared it to being intoxicated Eph. 5:18.  You may be able to argue his meaning here, but I think looking at his word choice (in English!! ) it seems its a safe interpretation.  His main point is not about drunkeness, but living a life FILLED with the Spirit.

I like this example better:  when the people saw the disciples after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, they thought that they were intoxicated!! Acts 2:13-15  This is not to make it seem like if you are never "foolish" in your worship (it doesn't seem like there is any good way to say this that couldn't be turned around to mean the wrong thing!) - that you aren't really worshipping, or aren't spiritual... definitely not!!  BUT that our dignity is not something to be guarded fiercely when it comes to worship.  Our eyes and hearts should be on GOD - JESUS CHRIST - not others, not ourselves and what others might think, not evaluating others visual signs of worship...

Read  I Cor. 1:18-25.   When we Halah, rave or boast upon the Lord, are clamorously foolish before the Lord, we will be foolish in the eyes of the Non-Praiser and the Non-Christian,

Remember when David danced before the Lord? The non-praiser, Michal, saw David leaping and whirling before the Lord and thought he was foolish to the point of despising him in her heart II Sam. 6:14-16, 20-23.  OUCH!!! let that not be me!

 The Hallelujah Psalms. They are called this because they either start or end with Hallelujah. Usually translated as "Praise the Lord." These Hallelujah Psalms divide into three groups: 

Ps 104-106 speak of God's Attributes.

Ps. 111-117 were used for the Passover Feast.

Ps. 135,145-150 were used in the Temple Worship.

In the KJV, this is translated praise, praised, praises, praising, glory, boast

Disclaimer:  I am not a theolgian !!  I just love God, and I love how He continually reveals more of Himself to me, and how He takes me deeper into Him, through His Word, through abandoning myself, through submission, and through worship.  If God is convicting you, or showing you something new about himself, let me encourage you to keep the lesson about your own life and walk, and don't start judging others who God may not have on the same time line as you!!  It is HIS walk with us, not our walk with Him.

1. At all times Psalms 34:1
2. As Long as we Live Psalms 63:4
3. From Day to Day Psalms 96:2
4. From this time forth and forever Psalms 145:1,2
5. At night in the house of the Lord Psalms 134:1
6. Forever and ever, every day Psalms 115:18

DISCLAIMER:  I am not a theologian, a Hebrew scholar, or up to big debates.  After hearing references to "The 7 Hebrew Words of Praise" two separate times, I decided to look it up on the internet, and found a few places that had researched it.  Feel free to do the same .  This isn't so much a theological discovery, but things God is showing me about Himself and my role in worshiping, and the great variety of ways He asks me and allows me to worship Him.

Edit to Add: sources are from the following links, the Bible and me:
    Rhonda Butcher
    Watchman Ministries
    Joe Burton
    Fellowship West

EDIT TO ADD: I didn't tell you how we read the Scripture!! - during the response time we read the Ephesians chapter 6 times,using 6 different voices, one oafter another (30 - 60 seconds between each one)... It was really effective!!

Last service we had was wonderful.  As each person cries out to God and worships with their whole heart, it does something to the atmosphere of the place!!! I dont understand it all, or how it ties in to the omnipresence of God, and the continuous indwelling of the Spirit, but when two or more are gathered in His name, HE IS THERE - in a real and almost tangible way.

It Is You (Newsboys)
Scripture during intro of next song Psalm 139:7-10
Nothing Without You
Enough

Teaching on Phillipians 1:20-26

Response time for 5ish minutes

Reading of Ephesians 3:16-19

more response time

Communion

Draw Me Nearer
Its All About You (Jesus Lover of My Soul)
I Want to Know You (In the Secret)
Jesus, You Alone

update on the house: - we went to look through the other two units (offer contingent on looking on the other two units) - this is after 3 weeks the home owners accepting our original offer, redoing all the paperwork, and wouldn't you know, there was another party their looking at it as well!! SO looks like they will be hanging out to see if the others make a better offer than ours!!  SO we wait again.  If we get this place, it will be God!! - and if we don't, it will still be Him - WOW - there is GREAT comfort in a Sovereign God whose hand is on every aspect of our lives!!!