Psalms 22:3 says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” I spent ten years in and around Pentecostal folks and to this day prefer more expressive and demonstrative worship environments. During a recent devotional time I was reminded of the power and presence of praise and worship. Make no mistake about it, Almighty God moves in a special way when He is lifted up and glorified.
The power of praise is real and spiritually transactional. When worship goes up, God via his Spirit, comes down and “takes up residence” in the hearts, minds, and physical space of those doing the worshipping. Whether you are alone in your prayer closet, in a bible study with like minded people of faith, or in church on Sunday morning this principle holds true. The word for ‘inhabitest’ is qadosh in Hebrew and means holy or sacred. The verb yashab means to sit, remain, or dwell.
When we take the time to lift up His name and give him glory and honor it not only gets God’s attention but it open a conduit and brings down His presence in a special way. God actually comes down from his throne and “takes up residence” via the Spirit in response to worship. The simple law of gravity says, “What goes up…must come down.” In the spiritual realm, gravity works very similarly. When praise goes up…He comes down.