We Were Made To Worship

June 9, 2009

~Denise Grant

 

“May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, ‘Let God be exalted!’” Psalm 70:4

 

     Praise is important because it helps us remember who God is. Our prayers are often filled with requests and demands for ourselves and others, yet we forget to thank God for what He has done and to worship Him for Who He is. Even in the midst of our storms – we should praise Him. It may not be an easy thing to do – but the rewards, are well worth it.

 

Something to Think About:

 

~How long has it been since you truly worshiped God with your whole heart?

 

~How is your life different when you worship God – expressing love, honor and gratitude to Him for all that He means to you?

 

~Do you attend a church with a strong sense of worship? Is Jesus lifted up in song and testimony?

 

     Memorize all or part of Psalm 100 to take with you throughout the day as a song of praise to God:

 

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

 

• Worship should be enthusiastic – Every church, or believer must practice or appreciate the same style of worship, but it does more than suggest that we need to engage our hearts in expressing our love and appreciation to God.
• Worship is for everybody – David says that worship is “for all the earth” (v.1). Paul reminds us that on the Day of Judgment “every knee will bow” before the Lord “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” Philippians 2:10.
• Worship should be joyful – David tells his people, “Serve the Lord with joy; come before Him with singing” (v.2) – not because of duty or obligation – but because you possess a real desire, in your heart to worship Him.
• Worship recognizes that God is the Creator.  – David affirms that God made us, we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends (v.3).  One of the biggest problems in our society today, is a self-sufficient arrogance that thinks humankind is smart and good enough to take on the world without God. One look at the real world in which we live, suggests otherwise.
• Worship honors God’s name - David’s call to praise His name (v.4) is an important reminder in our profanity-laced culture that often uses God’s name as an expletive. Using God’s name outside of prayer and topic conversation is using His name in vain.
• Worship is a group experience – David says to come into his city with songs of thanksgiving (v.4). In other words, even though we should worship God throughout the week, we should also gather with other believers to bring honor to His name, as a collective group of like worshipers.
• Worship expresses gratitude to God for His goodness – David, a flawed man with a difficult life, can proclaim with all assurance: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is ever lasting, and his truth endures to all generations” (4.5). NKJV

 

God will:

 

Allow you to come into His presence – “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his side, without blemish and free from accusation.” Colossians 1:22

 

Be found by you as you seek Him – “You will seek me and find me when you see me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13   “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

 

Never leave you – “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

 

Bless those who seek Him – “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25

 

 

     We were made for God – and in order for our souls to thrive – we need to worship God.

 

 

Dear God,

 

     You are my Creator. I praise You for all that You are , all that You mean to me, all that You have done for me and all that You have made me to be. There is none like You, no god above You. I will worship and praise Your name forever. Amen!

Denise Grant - Just "clay" in the Master Potter's hands.

 

May we as Christ-believers bear more fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. (Galatians 5:22)