It is not too much of a stretch to say that Shout to the Lord has become the best known praise chorus in the world.  On most of the missions trips I’ve been on, when we need a song we’re sure people in the congregation will know the words to, Shout to the Lord is always on the short list.  It’s proved much longer lived than many of the modern praise choruses sung in churches; the first time I sang it in church was for a choir number on Easter Sunday in 1996, but people are still singing it in churches and small groups today.  One of our human tendencies though is to become so familiar with old things that we don’t really pay attention to them anymore.  Sometimes it is beneficial to look closely once again and remember all that we declare when we sing this song.

The Earth is the Lord’s

One of the things I really like about Shout to the Lord is the nature imagery included in the song.  Scripture often refers to nature with such well known verses as the following:

• Psalm 24:1 – where the section title comes from
• Psalm 19 – The heavens declare the glory of God
• Isaiah 49:13 – Sing for joy, O heavens!  Rejoice O Earth!  Burst into song O mountains!
• Romans 8:19-21 – All creation is waiting eagerly…  All creation anticipates the day

In light of these verses and others, it’s very appropriate to sing out “Shout to the Lord all the Earth”, and to go on to sing about how the mountains and seas respond to their Creator and Lord.

Everything Jesus is to Us

The other main theme of the song is all that Jesus is to us.  We remember that he is our savior and has saved us from the selfishness and futility of a life without him.  We remember that he offers comfort and refuge when things are upsetting.  That he is our hiding place and source of strength.  We end the song by remembering that his great promises are sure when we declare “nothing compares to the promise I have in you”.

Songs are great and have the power to connect with us and stay in our memory longer than other spoken words.  Those who like a more visual appeal would do well to watch music videos to experience both the song and a visual connection with it.  You can watch many popular music videos for free at the music Jesus website.