Who Do You Worship?
As I am trying to take a nap, I was prompted to write about what came into my spirit as I pondered about the things of God and the topic of praise and worship came to my mind after listening to Isaiah 1. I am completely exhausted and want to sleep but the spirit is prompting me to write on what He showed me.
I’m my mind I saw a huge concert in a stadium. Thousands of people screaming, jumping, throwing their hands up and filled with joy. Flickers of light from lighters and phones sway all in one fluid movement in the dark arena as the crowd screamed and sang the words to every song played. Next, I see a bunch of people in homes and sports bars screaming and hugging each other as their team scored a point and then complete exuberant joy when their team won the game jumping up, hugging and praising their team. Then I saw a church congregation during what was supposed to be worship. They stood there unaffected with their hands by their sides or on the chair in front of them as they mumbled and sang the words half heartedly to a praise and worship song they all knew. I then heard this question in my head. “I don’t understand how people can worship with their whole being at a concert or game that has no eternal benefit, but when they come to worship God they cannot even worship Him with their whole being, much less their lips.”
What I saw brought me great sadness.
I remember when I had first become a believer in 98 and I had left a life of a VERY jaded past and I began following Christ fervently. I went with my church to a revival and as we did praise and worship people just stood there without any emotion it completely perplexed me. Being very bold then, I stepped up and addressed the congregation. I gave my testimony of where I had come from and that was also from witchcraft, drugs, and other things. I then pleadingly asked that knowing what we were saved from and where we were headed without Him, how can they not be affected? When we condemned ourselves by our own actions to hell and knowing that Jesus gave us his own life to cover that sin, conquered death, and in so doing, gave Us forgiveness and giving us the gift of eternal life with Him and God, How could we not get rid of our pride and worship him?? I don’t know what ever happened to that church, but I do remember someone telling me that people started to evaluate their worship.
Why do we not worship Him like we worship other things?? Have we forgotten where we were headed and what he saved us from? Why?? As many times I have stumbled, He has always been merciful and forgiven me when I’ve turned to Him and sometimes I do not give my all to worship Him. I am reminded of King David who stripped down to his underwear and praised God with His whole being in front of all Israel. (2 Samuel 6) he knew who he worshipped, do you??? I’m not suggesting everyone strip down to their underwear during praise and worship but to me I think it was a way that king David was stripping himself of his Kingly robes to humble himself before the one true King.
Psalms 22:3 says “He inhabits the praises of his people”. If he inhabits the praises of his people, what do you think inhabits the praises to other things??
Psalms 97:1-6 describes how awesome God is:
Psalm 97
1
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
2
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3
Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
4
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
How can you not give your whole being to Him when THIS is the God we serve??!!!
Now listen to the descriptions of hell:
2 Thessalonians 1:9
“They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”
Matthew 13:50
“the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”Matthew 25:41
““Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 10:28
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
So now tell me why we cannot give ourselves wholly to the worship of the God who has saved us from this??!!
I have been studying heaven and hell for the last 8 months. From witness testimonies taken from people who have died and been brought back, they boil down to this: if they didn’t know Jesus when they died they found themselves in hell. The first name they screamed was Jesus and they had full knowledge they belonged there. When people died and followed Jesus they immediately fell down before Him acknowledging who he was and knowing they didn’t deserve to be there. The people who came back from hell say that Jesus appeared and saved them and upon coming back to life they immediately gave their lives to Christ. So in my thinking I ask, if angels who have no sin constantly want to worship God and sing “holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come” in Revelation 4:8-11, how can we who are with sin, being saved from our sin by the sacrifice of God’s son, not want to praise Him with our whole being???
It is hard at times to worship God because it is against our nature because of sin. We want to gratify our flesh, not him. I myself have had days of struggle about worship, sometimes I have made worship about me, but it’s not. It has everything to do with Him! The only part of me that has to do with worship is surrender and thanksgiving!! Surrender myself to him whole heartedly!!! We are to come before him with a humble and contrite heart (1Peter 5:5). So if we choose to stay silent during this time or are unmoved by worship do we then worship ourselves??? When we don’t feel like worshiping , that’s when we must!!! We must remember who He is and what He’s done! If we do that, worship gets easier because the enemy hates when we worship Jesus!!
So, what do we worship? What consumes our praises??? What do we give ourselves to? Do we worship in sports? Movies? Concerts? Ourselves? What eternal benefit do those hold to deserve our hearts complete surrender to it? Am I saying concerts are bad or games, or movies? No, I’m asking if that is what you give your whole adoration or worship to. Matthew 22:37 says “Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ So when you worship or praise this, is it consuming your whole heart, soul, and mind and if you are a Christian why not him???
As we come upon the Easter celebration of Christ’s resurrection, people will get on their “Sunday best” and go to a church that is packed, because it is a tradition to some. They will sing songs, that to some really hold no meaning to them, because even though they may look nice their hearts are far from the God they sing about. If God inhabits the praises of his people and we really worshipped God, imagine the joy and life that could bring to them to see the true freedom we have in Christ!!
So I end this trail of thoughts with this, we are commanded to worship in spirit and in truth so who do you worship? What do you worship? How do you worship and why do you worship?
- Liz King
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