The Delight of Worship (Psalm 96-101)
3:34 AM
“Unless men see a beauty and delight in the worship of God, they will not do it willingly.” John Owen
I remember that when we were in the planning and discussion stages for our journey through the Bible this year that we talked about a theme of Praise and Worship. Each time I have written a post, I have tried to focus on what magnifies God and what helps me see aspects of his character that I can draw attention to. Honestly, that’s not a hard task because every God inspired book of the Bible reveals God to us if we will just take the time and have the interest to look. I believe that David chose to look diligently for God and he had the ability to see God manifested in every facet of life. He was obviously fascinated with God and passionate to express his admiration. From his heart’s outpouring in Psalm 96-101, we are blessed to have great examples of sincere expressions of praise and worship.
“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.”
Psalms 96:1-4
Can you appreciate David’s enthusiasm? These are words that come from delight and not obligation. David tells us to “ sing a new song” which suggests fresh, original, joyous expression. He tells us to sing “to the Lord”. Our worship is “ for God”. It’s something we offer to Him. He encourages us to “tell of his salvation from day to day”. Our worship connects us to God but it also connects us to each other.
“For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”Psalms 97:9 David was King of Israel, but David remained humble in his understanding of God’s ultimate authority. All of mankind worships something or someone. In order for our hearts to truly worship God, we must be willing to humble ourselves and willingly submit to God’s authority. We can’t worship God if we are worshipping self or the pursuit of idols.
“Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalms 100:3 David felt connected to God. He felt that he mattered to God. Having a sense of purpose can help us have a heart of gratitude. Praise and worship most easily flow from a grateful heart. “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalms 100:5
Do you find worship of God to be more of an obligatory task or a delight? We were specially designed to honor, worship and glorify God. David delighted in worshiping God and declaring his power and love to as many as he could. Through worship he remained humble with a teachable heart and God delighted in him. As you read through these Psalms, I hope you can relate to David's enthusiasm and offer your own "new song" of worship to God who loves you and wants to be the One you delight in.
“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose and all this gathered up in adoration the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and source of all actual sin.” William Temple
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