Words and Music by Karen Burkhart and Felix Weber
Wake up oh soul it’s time to praise the Lord
Bow down before Him worship and adore
For He is worthy of your praise outpoured
Begin to praise, Soul
Begin to praise
I’m going to move my worry to worship
Give up my fear to faith
I’m going to lay down every distraction
Lift up my hands
And begin to praise
I’m going to set my eyes on the unseen
Breathe in the Wind of Grace
I’m going to lead sorrow into surrender
Lift up my hands
And begin to praise
Praise is the plough that stirs my hardened heart
It reaches deep and breaks up every part
That stands against the very truth of God
Begin to praise, Soul
Begin to praise
I’m going to move my worry to worship
Give up my fear to faith
I’m going to lay down every distraction
Lift up my hands
And begin to praise
I’m going to set my eyes on the unseen
Breathe in the Wind of Grace
I’m going to lead sorrow into surrender
Lift up my hands
And begin to praise
Hallelujah
Worthy is the Lamb
You are the King of Glory
You are the Great I AM
Hallelujah
Worthy is the Lamb
Hallelujah
You are the King of Glory
Hallelujah
You are the Great I Am
Hallelujah
Worthy is the Lamb
I received the Facebook message on April l3, 2017, just a few days after the tragic passing of a much-loved member of my church's youth group. My teenage son was grieving especially hard and struggling to cope with the loss of his friend. The message came from an old college friend who worked for Chris Tomlin’s Night of Worship in America Tour that would be coming to Dayton, Ohio a couple days later. He had been looking for friends who lived nearby so he could give some tickets away. When my name appeared on his area search he noticed a post about our heartache and this confirmed that he would offer the tickets to me. The gift of tickets lifted our spirits and was most appreciated by my son because he had requested to go to the concert weeks earlier, but I had declined. Little did I know at that time how much his young spirit would need to worship with the Body of Christ that night.
As the music began to play, we lifted our voices and hands in praise; I think we all felt God's healing balm begin to be poured out on us. Many of the familiar songs took on new significance as we, for the first time, embarked on this unwanted family journey through the valley of the shadow of death.
About half-way through the concert, Chris Tomlin's pastor, Darren Whitehead, spoke about the seven Hebrew words that are translated into the one English word, praise. As a worship leader, I was drawn in and eager to learn more about this thing that Scripture has repeatedly commanded us to do. At one point, Pastor Whitehead said the words, "We've got to move our worry to worship," and I immediately took note. I had a feeling—like one I've had before—that this phrase might well be the hook for a new song. I was filled with anticipation.
The concert closed with songs that I could tell were ministering to my broken-hearted son, including Great Are You Lord, which was the last song my son had played in church with his now deceased friend. They say the Devil is in the details, but how much more is that true of our great God! It was clear we were to be at that concert, both for the moment and what was to come.
A short time after the concert, inspired by the words I had jotted down that night, I wrote the lyrics and the chorus melody to a song that would eventually be called, "Begin to Praise." My co-writer and producer, Felix Weber, later chimed in with a melody for the verses, and together we crafted the bridge. When we were finished, we both sensed that this was a special song and we prayed that God might use it to inspire praise and worship near and far.
On the morning of the recording, I read the familiar 150th Psalm, so I could begin to meditate on the idea of praise. Twelve times I read the directive to PRAISE! At first glance, I thought, someone might wonder just how egotistical our God is—I mean, what kind of God commands praise for themselves? Looking closer, one understands that God's character is perfect and that He is the ultimate servant and therefore He doesn't command praise because His fragile ego needs it, He commands it because He knows it's good for us! He knows that, "praise is the plough that stirs our hardened heart (and that) it reaches deep to break up every part that stands against the very truth of God!" In a sense, praise sets the record on our hearts straight.
May this song inspire you to praise the Lord in every circumstance!