Shabach means to praise God with a loud voice. It is bold, confident praise that declares God’s greatness and victory, even before we see the answer. Sometimes worship sounds like celebration, and sometimes it sounds like spiritual warfare.
Throughout the Bible we see God’s people lifting a shabach. The walls of Jericho fell as the people obeyed God and gave a mighty shout (Joshua 6). The psalmist calls us to clap our hands and shout to God with joyful praise (Psalm 47). Blind Bartimaeus refused to be silenced when He heard that Jesus was passing by. Even when the crowd told him to be quiet, he cried out all the more. His loud, faith-filled cry brought him face to face with Jesus, who healed him (Mark 10:46–52). Sometimes the greatest act of faith is refusing to let your praise or your prayers be silenced.
For many of us, praise has become synonymous with singing.
Yet throughout Scripture, praise is far bigger, deeper, louder, and more transformative than a song. This summer series invites us to rediscover seven biblical expressions of praise. Each word reveals a different response to who God is and what He has done: surrender, celebration, reverence, creativity, thanksgiving, spiritual warfare, and hope.
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