So today God has put on my heart the topic of worship...
What does 'worshiping God' really mean to us? Do we really worship God?
If worship means to "have excessive admiration"...what is it that we have excessive admiration for?
What consumes our thoughts, fills our conversations, and drives us?
I've always been what you could call a "worshiper" at heart. From a young child I have always found peace and enjoyment in singing to the Lord and singing about the Lord. It is my call and passion to be used by the Lord in a ministry of "song".
Thought often times I feel as if there is so much that would like to side track me from being confident and used, even as I say that I can feel the tug. But, anyone that knows me and loves me will see that I come alive when I worship my "first love" and the "lover of my soul". And I know that whoever desires to have my hand one day, will have to know where to find my heart...for it will be before the throne of God, either writing or playing song to Him.
Anyhow, let it be known there are other ways in which we can "worship", because basically the way that we 'worship God' is by "proclaiming His goodness". We can do that in many ways, but there is "special power" and the Lord greatly delights in music, singing, and in us making melody to him...Take these scriptures for example:
"Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!" Psalm 150:1-6
"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:1-6
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens." Psalm 96:1-9
"Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!" Psalm 149:3
"Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts." Psalm 33:2-3
As we read we are encouraged to praise God freely with instruments, with our voices, in dance, and with exclamations. And though there is a time and place for all things, (A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance Ecc 3:4) I find that most times where worship is mentioned in the psalms there is a lot of "exclamation marks"...and boldness. Lots of boldness.
I believe that there is a great ache in the heart of God to hear worship from his sons and daughters, but silence echoes not only in the halls but in the hearts of the children of the King. Where are the men who are bold enough to stand and declare the greatness of the Creator and their allegiance to this King of Kings? Where are the maidens who out of a love for the Maker of Heaven and Earth dance before His throne? Has fear struck the hearts of the King's subjects? Where are the messengers of the Lord? Are we too afraid to declare Him?
I find that the true heart of the matter is a lack of passion for the Lord. It is not that we are not "worshiping" in some respect...it is just that we are "worshiping" other things. We have a great passion for the things we know better than He. The Lord has not become real enough to us, or we have not yet tasted of His goodness towards us. What has the Lord done for you? Has He not reached down and saved you from your own self and sin? Where would you be without Him? Is He not deserving of your praise? He has loved You with a GREAT love, a love that saw no bounds. It is by recognizing how much He has loved you and wants to love you, that you are able to respond with a heart of love and love Him back. This is a great key to worship. We cannot feel admiration for that which we do not believe is good, of for that which has not truly touched us by it's greatness.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy"....Psalm 103: 1-4
There are idols in our hearts...And it is not that these things we admire are inherently "bad" or "evil", it is just that we "know them" and have overflowing admiration for them more than God.
To some it may be video games, to others movies, to some people, even...
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matthew 22:37
It is hard for the Lord to take His rightful place in a generation that has "many loves". I often find my heart stubborn and crowded by the wave of excitement for other things and for people, but after all...what am I here for? I am here by God, and for God.
A very touchy subject would be that there is a lot of FEAR in worship today. We fear too much what other people think of us. We are more "focused" on how we appear to others, than on how we appear to God.
God is high above us all, looking down reaching out His hand...and we fear reaching for His own.
"Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!" Psalm 134:2
"Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven" Lam 3:41
If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. Job 11:13
We fear emotion, like it's the plague. As if God never created our emotions in the first place. Pssh.
How will we ever be able to rise above our own self centered-ness and touch others, if we are afraid to be "emotional?" Can we deny that we having feelings? And they are the root of who we are? There is an imbalance amongst us. Surely worship is not just about emotion, it is about truth...it is about declaring the truth about God that we have learned and experienced, but unless we allow ourselves to "feel" about and for God, we will never worship Him in freedom.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
God says "I want to let you experience my love...but you are not ready for it. For surely you would not be able to stand in my presence, for the "weight" of me would be too much for you to take. There is so much of my love that if I were to lay it all on you as a substance, you would drown in it.
But be not afraid, neither fear...For I reach forth my hand to pull you closer to myself. Perfect love casts out fear. Be not afraid of my love, for it will change you for the better, and make you stronger, wiser, more confident, and of greater use to others."
Is there an ache in your heart to worship the Lord? There is an ache in the Lord's heart to meet you and touch you in worship in a way you haven't yet experienced. So do not worship in ritual alone, do not worship as if it were a dance that is choreographed to be followed...worship the Lord from your own heart, and declare how it is "you" feel about Him and what "you" admire about Him. This may sound strange, but worship must be from your own heart, for many worship the Lord not sincerely. He doesn't ask for you to pretend, or to put on a show, but He does require for you to place your eyes on Him and stop fearing what others think or focusing on "their worship". And if His goodness moves you to dance, if His goodness moves you to shout aloud, and you do not obey His Spirit, than you are not satisfying the Lord.
He doesn't ask for us to be puppets on strings, nor statues who stand in fear of following man's book of rules and traditions. He tells us not to fear Man, but to fear Him. And also in - Matthew 18:3 "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
And children run to their parents with open arms, do they not? They reach up to their Father to be picked up. And this is exactly what our relationship with the Lord can look like. We raise our hands to be "picked up" by Him. And also to praise Him, as those in bible times would also wave banners and palm branches. (John 12:13)
The Lord awaites to hear your song, to hear your voice. Have you told Him you love Him today? He wants to hear it from you. He waits up as a lover does in anticipation to hear from you. He says He loves you, and thinks the best of you. Can you think of how to respond in admiration? The greatest being in the Universe and beyond waits to hear from you. He says, "Come, beloved one. Lean not unto they own understanding. Acknowledge me...and come before my throne. There is nothing that stands between to hinder you from coming and speaking to me".
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. John 4:3
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor 3:17
Lastly, there is a lack of feeling and passion for the Lord, 'because' there is a lack of the Holy Ghost moving amongst hearts. May we not dare worship and live without His Spirit in Us. For the Spirit speaks of God and not of Himself and carries out prayers and words up to Him. Rom 8:26 says the Spirit intercedes for us.
God, stir in us a desire to bring before you the sacrifices of worship that you desire. We come, arms wide and hearts surrendered...in awe of the one who "gave it all".
