On My Mind...
When you think of worship, what comes to your mind? Is it a certain kind of music? Do you think Handel, Gaither, Gettys, Third Day or George Beverly Shea? When you hear “worship” do you think primarily of music? Maybe you think about what happens at church on Sunday morning and evening. Do you think of a choir, congregational singing and a sermon. Of course, those of you who are really godly, think about how much you enjoy sermons! Most of us, when we think of worship, think of something connected with what we experience here at church. Some may think of their quiet time, when they, alone before God, read their Bible, pray and worship privately.
But I want to encourage you to think outside of that box. I want to encourage you to begin thinking about worship in a broader context. As children of God, all of life is worship. The whole of our lives is to be lived for the glory of God. We are to live “corem deo” before the face of God. To live as such is to live a life of perpetual worship. What I’m suggesting to you is that worship is a mindset. It is the grid through which you look at life and the world around you. Such a mindset enables you to see the hand of God in the common and the ordinary. It is amazing where you will see God when you are looking for him!
One great expression of this is found in Psalm 29. I encourage you to take some time to read and meditate on this beautiful psalm. It is a psalm of pure praise. David does not call upon us to “do” anything. He merely expresses pure, unbridled praise. And that praise is in response to a thunderstorm! Listen to what Spurgeon said about this psalm: “Just as the eighth psalm is to be read by moonlight, when the stars are bright, as the nineteenth needs the rays of the rising sun to bring out its beauty, so this can be best rehearsed beneath the black wing of tempest, by the glare of the lightning, or amid that dubious dusk which heralds the war of elements. The verses march to the tune of thunderbolts, God is everywhere conspicuous, and all the earth is hushed by the majesty of his presence.” The early church records that this psalm was read to children during storms as a reminder that God is in control. To really appreciate the majesty of this psalm, you need to go out into a field and watch the majesty of some ferocious storm and realize that the hand of God guides that storm. Worship is not limited to the sanctuary on Sunday, worship is everywhere and anywhere when you are a true worshiper.
The psalm reminds us that a true worshiper is overwhelmed by the greatness of God (1-2), he is awed by the glory and power of God (3-9), and humbly bows before the Sovereign One (10-11). The next time you hear the thunder roll, take that as a cue for you to open up Psalm 29 and spend a moment in worship. It’s worth thinking about.
I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod
But I want to encourage you to think outside of that box. I want to encourage you to begin thinking about worship in a broader context. As children of God, all of life is worship. The whole of our lives is to be lived for the glory of God. We are to live “corem deo” before the face of God. To live as such is to live a life of perpetual worship. What I’m suggesting to you is that worship is a mindset. It is the grid through which you look at life and the world around you. Such a mindset enables you to see the hand of God in the common and the ordinary. It is amazing where you will see God when you are looking for him!
One great expression of this is found in Psalm 29. I encourage you to take some time to read and meditate on this beautiful psalm. It is a psalm of pure praise. David does not call upon us to “do” anything. He merely expresses pure, unbridled praise. And that praise is in response to a thunderstorm! Listen to what Spurgeon said about this psalm: “Just as the eighth psalm is to be read by moonlight, when the stars are bright, as the nineteenth needs the rays of the rising sun to bring out its beauty, so this can be best rehearsed beneath the black wing of tempest, by the glare of the lightning, or amid that dubious dusk which heralds the war of elements. The verses march to the tune of thunderbolts, God is everywhere conspicuous, and all the earth is hushed by the majesty of his presence.” The early church records that this psalm was read to children during storms as a reminder that God is in control. To really appreciate the majesty of this psalm, you need to go out into a field and watch the majesty of some ferocious storm and realize that the hand of God guides that storm. Worship is not limited to the sanctuary on Sunday, worship is everywhere and anywhere when you are a true worshiper.
The psalm reminds us that a true worshiper is overwhelmed by the greatness of God (1-2), he is awed by the glory and power of God (3-9), and humbly bows before the Sovereign One (10-11). The next time you hear the thunder roll, take that as a cue for you to open up Psalm 29 and spend a moment in worship. It’s worth thinking about.
I’ll see you Sunday.
Rod