Worshipping the God of heaven should be our greatest joy and longing. Like King David our hearts should cry out, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for you in the sanctuary, to see Your power Your glory" (Ps. 63:1).
Yet it is easy to take worship for granted and see it as routine and, God forbid, even boring for some. In contrast to David, others in Israel said of worship, "Oh, what a weariness" (Mal. 1:13). But when God took them away into captivity for the lack of glory they gave to Him, they were suddenly struck with understanding of how special worship really was and how utterly sinful they were to have abused it so.
In captivity they said, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, and wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it." Their captors demanded that they sing one of the songs of Zion. Their sad reply - "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land" (Ps. 137:1-4)?
Imagine how you would feel if a foreign army invaded your house, took your Bibles and any reference to God, and carried you far away from other Christians. How long would it take to realize what a great blessing you had in being able to read, sing, study and worship God? Let us never forget the privilege we are given in being able to bow before the God of the universe who has blessed us beyond measure. Let our worship be a continual overflow of thanks from our hearts. Consider four things that will keep worship meaningful and special to us.
1. Preparation. In order to worship well, we need to prepare for it. Does the following sound familiar around your house on Sunday morning? "Honey, where's my dress shirt? Has it been washed?" "Kids, hurry up, we are going to be late!" "Has anyone seen my Bible?" "Am I waiting on the Lord's Table today?" "Mama, tell Johnny to quit hitting me... Turn the TV... We are going be late... I've got to stop for gas... etc." Here is the home that is unprepared to worship God.
The Israelites had a day of preparation the day before the regular Sabbath day and the Passover (Mark 15:42). Well before sunset, worshippers would suspend normal business and social activity. Our worship needs the same. We need not to stay out late on Saturday night and then be dead tired Sunday morning. Clothes need to ready in advance. We need to allow plenty of time for getting ready. Simply put, the home must not be chaotic as we prepare to worship.
Want some ideas? Play a CD of great hymns in the house instead of the TV. You might also keep a song book near a recliner for you to sit and sing a song or two before leaving. Gather the family together for a prayer concerning what you are about to do. You will soon worship Jehovah with the saints of God! Have your family ready.
2. Meditation. Quality worship involves engaging your mind and spirit. "I will pray with the spirit and pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit and sing with the understanding" (1 Cor. 14:15). I realize it is not always easy to maintain focus during worship, but serious worshippers work hard to do just that.
Sit down a little before the public worship begins and gather your mind. Think about the blessings of God in your life and prepare to give Him heartfelt praise. Let joy fill you as you "count your many blessings" and "see what God has done." Look forward to giving to God's work from the material resources He has given you.
Listen carefully to the Bible when it is read. Pay very close attention to the words of the prayers and songs. Make them your own, let them flow from your heart, and give them your hearty "amen." Dive in to the study of the word when the preacher is preaching and covet the next nugget of knowledge or wisdom... that point that you had failed to see before.
In one place where I preached there was a young man who would always throw his tie over his shoulder while the preaching was going on. Rather than a distraction, it was a great encouragement. He was a fervent note taker and got tired of having to push his tie out of the way as he leaned into the sermon and wrote feverishly. He was ready.
3. Evaluation. To truly see Him as we worship, we must see ourselves more clearly. Peter did. In Jesus' presence, He said, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8). Jesus did not leave Him but rather drew him closer and worked with him to make him a dedicated and loyal disciple.
Don't let the assembly go by without seriously evaluating your life before the Lord. See where you need to repent and do better. What sins are pressing upon you daily? Where do you need to make changes? Remember that it is not worship and praise per se that God desires, but for that worship and praise to come from a genuine heart that strives for holiness (Ps. 51:16-17; Micah 6:6-8; Is. 1:11-18).
And be sure to meditate seriously on your agreement with the Lord. He will keep His promises to you, but are you keeping yours to Him? Think about your covenant with Him when you partake of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-31). Judge yourself. Think deeply about the price Jesus paid for you to become His friend.
Trust me, your worship will go to another level if you will practice the discipline of engaging your mind. God says a worshipper who absorbs the worship service will have "the secrets of his heart revealed" and "falling down on his face, he will worship God" and report that God is truly in the midst (1 Cor. 14:25). Mindless worship is not worship!
4. Determination. Having worshipped from the heart and being filled with joy, we leave the worship service determined to "let our lights shine" before others so that they will glorify God (Mt. 5:16). We determine to grow deeper in our Christ-likeness (2 Cor. 3:18), and equally determined to press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:12-16). And there we will finally see Him as He is (1 John 3:1-3) and rest eternally satisfied in the presence of the One we adore (Ps. 17:15; 73:25).
To God be the glory. He is worthy of our best worship. Let's get it right.
- Biblical Insights, July, 2011