Worship God In True Intent

Worship: Thoughts, About God, In My Victory Garden of Prayer
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Come, Let us bow down and worship. Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker. (Ps.95:6)
1 Timothy 2:8
I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Psalm 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psalm 150:4
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs
When I think about worship, I always think of it in terms of music. Yet, I know in my heart that worship is everything we do, all that we are in Christ Jesus. We sing beautiful songs, using various instruments. We bow our head and quietly pray in reverence for God. I often feel that this is not sufficient! I want to weep for joy, I want to shout and dance for His love and mercy is so great, so unspeakable, so wonderful!
Then why do we sing and pray as if we’re at a funeral? Why are the same stiff-necked people in church able to go to a football game and shout until they get laryngitis? Do we have our priorities messed up? Are we more excited about a game than standing on Holy ground before the God of the universe, the Creator of all things?
The Bible is filled with testimony of Old Testament and New testament believers who, once they came into the presence of God were filled with such awe of Him, that they either danced, sang, went away shouting His praises, or covered their face because it shone too bright for people to look upon them. Yet, we hang our heads, mutter and mumble and barely move our lips when worshipping the Most High God!
Like one of my favorite Chuck Girard songs: “Let’s Take it outside these walls and let it ring!” Why can’t we just lighten up a bit and realize it’s REALLY not about us…..it’s all about HIM!
We have another problem: Contemporary, Traditional, Christian Rock, etc. Again, why do we get all enmeshed in these trivialities about which music to sing? It’s not about us. It’s about God. Worshipping God! It’s all about Him, and Him alone!
Is our salvation found in the music we choose? Does the music supply all our needs? Of course, we want to love the songs we sing! Is it worth fighting, arguing, refusing to attend services, or hold bitterness in your heart because the music is not what “you” want? If we aren’t singing in true worship; in spirit and in truth….it doesn’t matter if we sing honkey tonk!
If the intent of our heart is not for singing to worship God, then it really doesn’t matter what we sing. Our worship is for Him. He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He is worthy of our praise. I, nor we, are worthy of praise. If we use a set of drums, an organ, piano, tambourines, guitar, violin, harmonica, bells, or tuba, or all of them together….what does it matter as long as the INTENT of the heart is to WORSHIP GOD ALMIGHTY!
We should take lessons from King David: Sing with stringed instruments, dance before the Lord, shout out His praises, he is worthy to be praised!
One thing we can always remember…or should remember: God inhabits the praises of His children! We should enter into His courts with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise……not with grumbling about the music! Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things (all things were created by Him and For Him), was BRUTALLY crucified, and hanged on a cross for OUR sin, and we can’t even worship and praise Him without grumbling over the music we sing.
Father God, in the very Precious name of Jesus, our Messiah and our Savior, we thank YOU for the freedom to worship, to pray, and to fellowship with other believers. Teach us to be joined together in unity, to worship in spirit and in truth, and to set aside anything that would divide us in this evil day. Teach us to study your Word and to keep our focus on YOU!.
Father, forgive us for those times we think ourselves so prideful and self-important that we think life is all about us rather than about serving YOU with joy and thankfulness. Open our eyes to see the truth about worship!
In Jesus Christ Alone Our Hope Is Found! Lily