Rejoice Up, Out, and In

From Gospel Translations

A Pattern for Everyday Praise

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together! (Psalm 34:1–3)

Some Bible passages are helpful not just because of what they tell us but because of how they help us understand what the rest of the Bible tells us. Psalm 34:1–3 does just that. These three short verses provide a framework for understanding how human praise of God works best. It’s a paradigm both mind-blowingly big and heart-stirringly small, as vast as God’s plan for humanity yet compact enough to fit in your pocket, grand enough to chart the entire sweep of redemptive history (from Eden to the new creation) and granular enough to shape everyday realities like marriage, parenting, and work.

Three Directions of Praise

Notice the three directions of praise in Psalm 34:1–3. Praise goes up, goes out, and draws in. The first direction is very personal. David says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (verse 1). This is what we say morning by morning as we seek to get our hearts happy in God, pressing the gospel afresh into every corner of our lives, confessing sin and finding forgiveness, asking our Father for what we need.

But true praise doesn’t remain purely vertical — it bends out horizontally because it wants to be overheard: “My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad” (verse 2). As our praise goes out to others, it increases both our gladness and theirs. C.S. Lewis famously said that the expression of our praise consummates our enjoyment. Praising a good meal, a great book, a memorable film, or a beloved friend or spouse heightens our joy. Simultaneously, the spillover gladdens the humble who recognize their own need for God.

And Godward praise has a further goal still: “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (verse 3). True praise yearns to draw others into its own experience and expression of joy in God. It’s not a diva craving solo performances; it’s a choral conductor whose greatest thrill is leading the singing of a mass choir.

Praise goes up, goes out, draws in.

Paradigm for Life

The psalm’s multidirectional paradigm illumines and ennobles the everyday activities of Jesus’s followers. For example, consider parenting, which begins with a mom and dad praising God morning by morning, moment by moment. Their delight bubbles over into full view of a child, who sees it in good times and bad, through lean and plenty. Godly parents long for that seeing to become singing because they’re after far more than polite, successful children. They’re forming fellow worshipers to sing praise with them.

Psalm 34:1–3 applies in a thousand other ways as well. It’s a pattern for marriage. When a godly man proposes to his beloved, he’s saying, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” A church planter sings a joyful song of praise to God that’s overheard by the members of a planting team, who then patiently and persistently invite others in their city to join the song. Praise goes up, goes out, draws in. It’s a paradigm for evangelism, discipleship, being a neighbor or church member or small group leader or cross-cultural missionary (“Missions exists because worship doesn’t”). Praise moves from my mouth to your ears to your mouth so that now we’re singing God’s glory together.

Psalm 34 steers us away from mere pleasantness in relationships and mere information transfer in evangelism. It spurs us to spread our praise rather than stifling it. It orients and inspires us in the nitty-gritty of daily life — no activity is too small or insignificant to be caught up in this God-ordained pattern.

Plot of Redemption

This up-out-in paradigm also maps redemptive history. God created Adam and Eve to worship him. They rebelled instead, failing to praise him as they were meant to. Their fallen, flawed praise then became characteristic of all who followed, including Noah, Abraham, the people of Israel, and King David himself. But finally, there came a man, Jesus Christ, who praised God perfectly (Luke 10:21). According to Hebrews 2:12, Jesus meant his praise to be overheard: “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” Would others join his song? The biblical narrative provides an answer.

At the end of the age, in the new creation, a vast multitude of angels and humans will ascribe blessing, honor, glory, and might forever and ever to the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb (Revelation 5:11–14). Jesus will have the mighty chorus of worshipers he desires. The generous invitation of Psalm 34:3 will be fully and finally fulfilled.

Two Suggestions

As we consider how to live out Psalm 34:1–3, two suggestions will help us maximize our delight.

First, follow the order of verses 1–3. The joyful work of spreading praise (verse 3) is necessarily sourced by deep personal communion with God and honest relationships with other believers (verses 1–2). That’s a satisfying and sustainable pattern. Like a chocolate fountain at a party, praise is meant to bubble up from the center, then spill and spread.

Skipping straight to the spreading work of verse 3 may be tempting because that’s where ministry happens, where churches collaborate, where organizations grow, where preachers use their gifts. No one gets thanked for private praise, while we may be highly admired for public ministry. But without the nourishing, sustaining realities of verses 1–2, the work of verse 3 will become shallow, feeble, self-centered, or even hypocritical and destructive. The chocolate fountain will either run dry or break down altogether, spewing a huge mess all over the carpet.

Second, and wonderfully, so long as there’s a strong and constant current from verse 1 to verse 3, be prepared to enjoy the blessing that almost inevitably sloshes back in the other direction. As others join us in praising God, our own praise will be strengthened. The familiar progression from gospel to community to mission will also run in reverse, from mission to community to gospel. Our invitations to others will deepen our own experience of God. Like an anti-gravity chocolate fountain, the blessing will flow back toward the source, sweetening our personal communion with Christ.

So, how about carrying Psalm 34:1–3 with you into the rest of your day and week? Take it into playtime with your toddler, coffee with a friend, an important business meeting, an interaction with your neighbor, those menial household chores. In fact, why not write it over your entire life? You’re made for this: to praise God and to be overhead by others who will join you forever. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”