1 Chronicles 16:23-31“Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
One of the things that crushes my heart more than anything is what many Christians have come to know as worship. Worship has often become synonymous with singing songs, a band playing, reciting psalms, or a name for the entirety of a Sunday morning service. Now to be clear, these are indeed aspects of worship, but not worship in and of itself. What do I mean by this?
Anyone can sing, play music, even preach and their heart be radically divorced from sincere worship. Notice the words that the writer of Chronicles utilizes to describe a heart of worship: Splendor, majesty, glory, strength, fear, joy, trembling, rejoicing, and gladness. Are these the attributes of your worship. Preaching is indeed an incredible act of worship, but only if it is an outpouring of your soul’s radical response to the glory, beauty, holiness, majesty, and perfection of the God of all creation. Singing is only worship when it belts forth out of a heart that is rooted in the perfection of Christ’s work. A church service is only worship when it is centered on the Holy inspired Word of God, and when people in corporate unity pour their hearts and lives out in joint praise to the Triune God.
It is important to note that the four walls you meet together in on Sunday is not the only context to which worship should be central in the life of a believer. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul writes, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The Apostle Paul speaks to two of the most basic tasks of daily living: eating and drinking. What should we get from this? I believe that Paul is saying that even in the most menial tasks of daily living every aspect of our lives is to be an act of worship to our God. Every time you eat food and are satisfied by its taste, praise the God who created your taste buds and the sweetness of that food. Every time you and your spouse partake in the beautiful gift of intimacy, rejoice in the one who knitted your spouse together, and in His providence brought you together that He would be glorified in your marriage. Every time you watch a sunset, know that that sunset was put their to cause your heart to be overwhelmed by its beauty so that it would turn you to its Creator.
Is your life a life of worship, or have you divorced worship to a once a week religious service? Are you presenting yourself a living sacrifice to God, is the entirety of your being consumed by His glory and goodness? This is what it means to cultivate a life of worship. A life of worship is one in which you are overwhelmingly satisfied in the God of Heaven regardless of your circumstances. Oh that you would pray that the Holy Spirit would open the eyes of your heart to see God in this kind of way. My greatest prayer is that you would not see one aspect of your life divorced from a heart of worship! The God of your salvation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is worthy to be Praised!!!
The Ramblings of a Young Minister 