Isa.61:3 – To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

Worship is a huge part of our relationship with the Lord. When you discover the power and blessing of worship you have entered the world of the supernatural. I have loved music all my life but none of the music of my youth can even compare to what I have found worshipping God, this is the place of joy unspeakable and life in the presence of God. Isaiah prophesied about the anointing in his famous prophesy that Jesus preached from in Isaiah 61. In it, Isaiah described the anointing as a garment of praise. Here is how the singer Martin Smith describes the garment of praise.

“The joy of the Lord is the strength of my heart

And I’m singing my heart out again

You make me glad in the house of the Lord

And I’ll praise You again and again

The joy of the Lord is life in His presence

We are a people redeemed

Children of God, come sing to the Lord

And lift up your voices with me

Lift up your voices and sing

The joy of the Lord is the sound of deliverance

We are the ones He set free

People of God, come look to the Lord

And lift up your voices with me

Lift up your voices and sing, hey

So take off your sackcloth, shake off the ashes

Put on your garment of praise

Here comes the oil, the oil of gladness

Put on your garment of praise

So take off your sackcloth, shake off the ashes

Put on your garment of praise

Here comes the oil, the oil of gladness

Put on your garment of praise

The joy of the Lord is my strength

It’s carried me all of my days

No sorrow could steal what You gave

‘Cause I’ve got a garment of praise

The joy of the Lord is my strength

It’s carried me all of my days

My sorrow I leave in the grave

So I’ll put on a garment of praise”

As most of you know I got saved in the 1970’s in the Jesus People Movement. One of the amazing characteristics of that movement of God (like many others) was the outpouring of new music upon our lives. Worship became a huge part of our new life and the new culture we found ourselves in. Rather than just a piano or organ at church now there was a full on rock band, needless to say that was a culture shock for many. The one thing that remained the same in church was that the Lord dwells in the praises of His people. Whether it is old time hymns, gospel, or rock; the Lord comes on the scene when His people worship. So go ahead and get yourself a new wardrobe, put on a garment of praise.