The other morning, I found myself overwhelmed and at the same time feeling nothing. It was odd, but it was like everything was on “pause” around me and I had a quiet moment to just be. It was one of those moments where silence actually has the opportunity to speak. As I began thinking through the day and all of the responsibilities that lay before me I started asking the question “What do I really need today?” Hot on the heels of this thought was the temptation to complain, but I quickly interrupted that idea with the fact that complaining wasn’t going to help with the responsibilities of the day in any way. (If only I could remember that all the time!)
Then, a worthy thought came to the surface and I realized; what I needed to do was worship the Almighty God of the Universe, the King of kings, the Certain Foundation- Jesus Christ the Lord! But isn’t that the need of every human being every day? What is amazing about worship is that it cannot take place while complaining is present. The two are like oil and water. They have no common ground. If we will simply step into the waters of worship, we will find that it is always a better use of our minds and our mouths.
While we can certainly launch off into a few “thank you, God” declarations, there is something to be said for substantive worship. Where does the Word of God direct me in worship and what substance does it give me to work with? If you have your Bible, turn to Psalm 100.
Let me just point out a couple of things for you to observe for yourself and then you can continue on in studying the rest of the passage for yourself. What I don’t want to do is study the Bible for you. We will never learn that way. God’s development of the believer in Christ is always on a face-to-face basis, and this means that each of us must be in the Word ourselves.
In Psalm 100, I see two categories.
First, what constitutes as “worship” to the Lord of glory?
Second, what are the reasons given for making YHWH God the singular object of my worship?
Let’s look at the Psalm.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.
Everything that is in boldface above is what constitutes “worship” in God’s eyes. Some of these are readily understandable like shouting, serving, and singing, but there is an emphasis on coming into His presence that may throw us for a loop. In the Old Testament, people would gather at the Temple in Jerusalem to worship. But what about today? Can we come into the presence of the Lord at any time or do we need to go to the church building in order to be in obedience to Him?
The New Testament tells us something astonishing about believers in the Church Age (The time from Pentecost in Acts 2 until the time of the Rapture of the Church). In 1 Corinthians 6:19, we read, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” Did you see it? Because the Holy Spirit indwells every Church Age believer in Christ, we are now His temple. This means that we can worship Him at any time because the temple always goes with us. The Holy Spirit resides there and He is God!
Looking at the Psalm above again you will notice that the underlined words are emphasizing the proper attitude of worship when it is expressed. Thanksgiving, joy, and gladness are all wonderful attitudes for the believer, making worship something greater than just a rote and rigid exercise that fills up the time. No, God looks at the heart and He desires (and even seeks) to be worshiped in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Worship is about having moments with God that are expressive and free of shame.
Now it is your turn. Take the time to answer the second question above:
“What are the reasons given for making YHWH God the singular object of my worship?”
What do you learn about God in this Psalm? How is He described? How does pondering these thoughts bring you to the proper attitude necessary for worshiping the Lord in spirit and truth? If you are not aware of this, look in the front of your Bible at the “translator’s note” and read about why LORD is in all capitals. It will change the way you think and read the Old Testament.
Pick one point to saturate your mind on, reminding yourself of this truth about our Creator throughout the day. How has your meditation upon that one truth about God drawn you into a better attitude of worship?
I look forward to hearing about what He teaches you through your time with Him.
Pastor Jeremy