It’s Bubbling!
Psalm 145:7 (TPT)
Our hearts BUBBLE OVER as we celebrate the fame
of your marvelous beauty, bringing bliss to our hearts.
We shout with ECSTATIC JOY over your breakthrough for us.
Believers Bubbling with Praise and Worship…
The title of Psalm 145 is “Praise of David.” The Hebrew word used for praise is “tehillah” which means “a formal hymn written to proclaim the excellence, renown, fame, and glory of a person or object.” This psalm excels in accomplishing that goal.
Psalm 145 is remarkable because of all the many different words that are used to worship God: “extol,” “bless,” “praise,” “commend,” “declare,” “meditate,” “speak,” “pour forth,” “sing aloud,” and “give thanks.” There are also repeated terms for the enduring nature of this praise: “forever and ever,” “generations,” and “everlasting.”
It seems as if the Hebrew dictionary and thesaurus were totally exhausted in penning this psalm! And our God is more than worthy of it all! Hallelujah!
To make it even more thrilling, Psalm 145 is also written as an acrostic form of poetry in which the first letter of each word in a line starts with a specific letter of the alphabet. In Old Testament Hebrew, poetical acrostics would start with “aleph,” the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and end with the last letter, “tav.”
These are several acrostic passages in the Bible:
• Psalms 9; 10; 25; 34; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145
• Proverbs 31:10-31 (the virtuous woman)
• Lamentations
Acrostic poems give a sense of both fullness and completeness. The phrase “everything from A to Z” means that every detail of a topic will be discussed. We can literally say that Psalm 145 is “everything from A to Z.” It is one of the fullest and most complete hymns of praise in the book of Psalms.
Poetry takes much thought and planning, and acrostic poems take a touch of genius. Who is the “genius” behind all Scripture? Of course, it is the Holy Spirit who “moved and impelled” (Amplified) and “carried along” (NIV) the men who penned these wonderful Words of Life:
2 Peter 1:21 (Amplified)
For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so—it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.
With that said, just imagine the joy of the Holy Spirit when He hears this amazing hymn of praise flowing up from the heart, through the voice, tongue and lips, and out through the mouth of God’s dear children. This is exactly why we have the Psalms! We are created to be worshippers:
Revelation 4:11 (KJV)
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and FOR THY PLEASURE they are and were created.
This is especially true of the Church, which the Holy Spirit has been preparing as a Bride for Christ since the Day of Pentecost over 2,000 years ago.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may PROCLAIM THE PRAISES of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Isaiah 43:21
This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
Psalm 102:18
This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
Consider Psalm 145:7 (KJV): “They shall ABUNDANTLY UTTER the memory of Your abundant goodness….”
The Hebrew word for “abundantly utter” is “naba” which means “bubble up, boil over, pour out, gush forth, spring up, ferment.” As the “redeemed of the Lord,” we should “say so” (Psalm 107:2) with praises that bubble up, boil over, pour out, gush forth, and spring up! Hallelujah!
Bubbling… When Words Fail Us…
However, the words of our native language will always fail us as we draw near to behold and worship Jesus, our Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and Heavenly Bridegroom! Even if we knew a thousand languages, there would still never be sufficient words to worship and praise our God. The great hymn-writer Charles Wesley captures that thought perfectly:
O for a thousand tongues to sing
– Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever given
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heaven.
The Holy Spirit chose the Psalms “Hymnbook” to be the largest of the sixty-six books, and He also placed it right in the center of God’s Word, the Bible. It is clearly apparent just how vital praise really is. In fact, Jesus says that the Father is “seeking such to worship Him”:
John 4:23
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
A Brand New Bubbling on Pentecost…
God has placed an extremely high value on praise and worship. We should not be surprised by what the Holy Spirit did on the Day of Pentecost when He was poured out upon the 120 people (including the eleven disciples) who were waiting and praying in Jerusalem. Those men and women were baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. At the very moment of their infilling, each of them began to praise and magnify God in a very unique way that had never happened before in all of history:
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:7-11 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language, in which we were born? —we hear them speaking in our own tongues THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD.”
To use the phrases from Psalms, these 120 believers were “bubbling up,” boiling over,” “gushing forth,” “springing up,” overflowing, and “abundantly uttering” praise and worship unto God in a brand new way!
Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mat 12:34), and that is precisely what they were experiencing! From the overabundance of their hearts, words were flowing like rivers out of their mouths. Their tongues were like the “pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1). In fact, this “bubbling up” was so extreme that they were accused of being drunk with new wine:
Acts 2:12-13
So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
What did it mean? It was the birth of the Church, the Bride of Christ. It was the fulfillment of the New Covenant promise:
Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
It was the Promise of the Father (Luke 11:13; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:33; Acts 2:38-39) poured out upon His children. The experience is called “the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5).
Jesus said that “Rivers of Living Water” would overflow from the believer’s “heart” or “innermost being.” He spoke this prophetically about this experience that was only available after He had ascended and been glorified to the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33). It refers specifically to those who would be baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues:
John 7:37-39 (NASB)
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER.’”
But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples:
Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name they will cast out demons; THEY WILL SPEAK IN NEW TONGUES; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
The Holy Spirit’s gift of speaking in unknown tongues accompanied the infilling of the Holy Spirit, not only on the Day of Pentecost but throughout the book of Acts (see Acts 8:5-17; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 11:15; Acts 15:7-9; Acts 19:1-6). As Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost, from that day forward, the “promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off” (Acts 2:37-39). Being filled with the Holy Spirit and endowed with the gift of speaking in unknown tongues, they were “bubbling up and boiling over” in a new way that never existed before!
The Bride is Bubbling with Love for Her Bridegroom…
Knowing that we are in these Last Times before Jesus returns for His Bride, how much more should we be singing and proclaiming God’s praises?
One symptom of the Bride’s “love sickness” (Song of Songs 2:5, 5:8) is that She loves singing the praises and the excellencies of her Beloved Bridegroom: “He is altogether lovely” (see Song of Songs 5:10-16).
David spoke of his amazement at the overflow of words coming from his mouth as he praised, worshipped, and adored God, his King. The title of this Psalm says it is a “Song of Love” –
Psalm 45:1
My heart is OVERFLOWING with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
We can appreciate how it is interpreted in The Passion Translation:
The Passion Translation interprets this verse like this:
Psalm 45:1 (TPT)
My heart is on fire, BOILING OVER with passion.
BUBBLING UP within me are these beautiful lyrics
as a lovely poem to be sung for the King.
Like a river bursting its banks, I’m OVERFLOWING with words,
spilling out into this sacred story.
On a Sad Side Note…
Sadly, many Christians do not realize that this gift of speaking in unknown tongues is available for all believers. Some try to teach that the gift of tongues was a time-limited gift given only for the purpose of preaching the Gospel in different languages. They say that the 120 were preaching in the languages of the people there in Jerusalem. However, that would be erroneous for no less than five reasons:
(1) The people did not hear the 120 preaching; instead, they said, “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). Just like when Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. Clearly, they were not preaching the Gospel, for Peter had already done that. Instead, they were praising and magnifying God:
Acts 10:46-47
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
(2) On the Day of Pentecost, there was no need to preach the Gospel in other languages, for everyone there understood each other perfectly. Peter stood up and preached without an interpreter, and 3,000 received Christ.
(3) The 120 speaking in tongues were accused of being drunk! Drunken preachers would have a difficult time trying to preach. The 120 must have been so filled with ecstatic joy that they appeared drunk to the onlookers that day.
(4) If the gift of speaking in tongues is for preaching the Gospel to people of other languages, then for whom and for what purpose is the companion gift of interpretation of unknown tongues?
(5) Finally, Paul clearly explains that “he who speaks in a tongue does NOT speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries” (1 Cor 14:2).
Bubbling in Unknown Tongues…
That last point is very critical to understand. The gift of speaking in tongues is NOT for SPEAKING to MEN. That also explains why Paul had to explain that speaking in tongues only profits and “EDIFIES” the one speaking (1 Cor 14:4 – and we need to edify ourselves!). Still, it does not profit anyone else unless the companion gift of interpretation functions in order to reveal what that prayer or praise in unknown tongues was about.
Speaking in tongues is for speaking to God. What qualifies as “speaking to God”? Prayer, intercession, praise, worship, blessing, and giving thanks. And that is precisely what this incredible gift is all about – talking to God:
• Prayer (Jude 1:20; Eph 6:18)
• Intercession (Rom 8:26-27)
• Praise, Worship, Magnifying God (Acts 2:11; Acts 10:47)
• Blessing God and giving thanks “well” (1 Cor 14:16-17)
If those whom the Holy Spirit moved to pen the Psalms felt that their tongue was the “pen of a ready writer,” then just imagine the beautiful words, psalms, and hymns of praise and worship that the Holy Spirit puts in our mouths with this fantastic gift of speaking in unknown tongues!
1 Corinthians 14:16-17
Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks since he does not understand what you say?
For you indeed GIVE THANKS WELL, but the other is not edified.
Awesome! How often have I felt such deep gratitude filling my soul, but I did not have enough words in English (or Spanish, which I also speak) to express that praise properly. How exciting that when we give thanks to God with the gift of speaking in tongues, we “GIVE THANKS WELL”!
Bubbling to a New Song…
Notice what Paul explains as to how this precious gift of speaking in tongues functions:
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
First of all, notice that when Paul says, “I will pray with the spirit,” he is contrasting that with “I will pray with the understanding.” Some people try to say that the phrase “praying with (or in) the spirit” simply refers to praying wholeheartedly in one’s own language. Others argue that it means being “led by the Spirit” to pray words in one’s own language. But Paul clarifies that “praying with the spirit” means “praying in a tongue,” and the understanding is unfruitful. Below are some of the verses that, as we can now understand, refer to speaking in tongues:
Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Jude 1:20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.
Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. [“Spiritual” is the Greek word “pneumatikos” which means “spiritual, supernatural, non-carnal.” So “spiritual songs” refers to supernaturally singing in unknown tongues.]
Secondly, it is clear that Paul does not wait for some mighty power of the Holy Spirit to suddenly fill him and force him to speak in tongues. Not at all! The gift of speaking in tongues is continuously available. This gift is different from the other gifts of the Holy Spirit in that it functions at our will and our choosing. Paul says, “I WILL pray with the spirit…” and “I WILL sing with the spirit.” This has been my experience ever since 1976 when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Of my own free will, I can speak in tongues any time I so choose. We always compared it to a pilot light in a gas stove: when you want to cook something, just turn on the gas! In other words, all I need to do is choose to speak the “utterance” or words that the Holy Spirit puts into my mouth. I can speak softly or loudly, and slowly or quickly. The choice is mine. What an amazing gift!
Thirdly, notice that Paul says something incredible: we can also SING IN TONGUES! Wow! That gives a whole new perspective on singing a “new song” unto the Lord as Psalms exhorts us to do!
I love to sit down with a guitar or piano and play whatever melody comes to my heart. Then, like Paul said, I sing in tongues to that melody. I remember two special occasions when I felt something unique while singing with the spirit in unknown tongues, and I felt impressed to ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of the interpretation of tongues. The result on both occasions was a brand new song (in English), which I quickly wrote down. Now I have written many songs, but it was usually tedious trying to get the correct rhyme and rhythm. But these two songs just flowed so quickly that my pen could not catch up! It was exciting to realize that those lyrics were given to me through these two amazing gifts of the Holy Spirit: speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.
Bubbling All the Time!
Finally, Paul sums it all up in this short, sweet, and humble statement, which addresses all born-again children of God for the purpose of encouraging them to pray, sing, praise, worship, and give thanks “well” by praying and singing in tongues as often as possible:
1 Corinthians 14:18
I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all!
Let’s do just that – “speak with tongues more” – and let those wonderful “Rivers of Living Water”…
bubble up…
boil over…
gush out…
and spring up!
Hallelujah!