What Lord? STOP clapping??

Romans 11:33 (NLT) - "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!"

A few years ago, when I was seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I was doing all I knew to do for God. I was turning down my plate and fasting, I was tithing (for the first time in my life), and I was attending every service I could at our church. I would drive to Southern Maryland from Alexandria Virginia for each service (not a short drive), and even at that, I often arrived early and stayed late. I had my "mind stayed" on God; sure enough. So it's no surprise that I began to hear (or perhaps to HEED) that still, small voice a little more. And one message I heard caused me to scratch my head in wonder, and ask for a second opinion from our pastor.


You see, I had joined the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC), which is the largest pentecostal denomination in America. Their services are - to say the least - dynamic, musical, and vibrant. I take great pleasure in praising God in this fashion, standing near the front, clapping my hands, and singing along with the praise team or the mass choir.

Then one day, in the midst of all this, I heard a voice say simply "stop clapping." WHAT?? "stop clapping for one week". Nothing else. No explanation, nothing. But clapping is my ..... my "vehicle" for showing God my praise. It was one of the principal "tools" I used, to show God how much I love and appreciate him. How could I praise him WITHOUT clapping?

I was so confused, I spoke to my pastor, and his response was beautiful. "Well, if the Lord told you to stop clapping, then you'd better do what he said."

Now I was REALLY confused. But I decided that I'd do exactly what I had been instructed, no matter how silly it sounded to me.

So I stopped clapping. And the first couple days were positively excruciating. The music would start, the people would stand and begin to clap and sing, and I went right along with them. I'd stand, I'd sing too, but as soon as I put my hands together to clap, the words of instruction came back to remembrance, and I put my hands back at my side. It was tremendously difficult to NOT clap!

But then, after a few days of uncomfortable obedience, a wonderful thing happened! God had stopped me from using my hands to praise him, and I just HAD to show him praise. So if I couldn't use my hands in praise, what else could I use?

Psalm 51:15 (KJV) - "O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise."

Yep. By asking me to withhold the praise I had been giving God through my clapping, God allowed my spirit to discover a new avenue of praise. My MOUTH.

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV) - "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

And after that week, I again began to clap during the services. But this time, my clapping and toetapping and singing was accompanied by the "fruit of my lips".

Psalm 47:1 (KJV) - "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph."

Nowadays, I tap my feet. I clap my hands. I dance, I jump, I even run. And now, in addition, because I was obedient to God's loving instruction, I can now praise him as loud as I like, with my voice. I can even shout my praise (and frequently DO).


Thank you, Lord. You taught me a valuable lesson. When you ask me to go somewhere or do something, I don't need to run your instruction through the "does that make sense to Scotty" filter. When you ask, help me to remain constantly obedient.

© 2009 Scotty Ward