Recently, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance who shared that he had been thinking a lot lately about what it means to worship God. He asked me for my thoughts. This is what I wrote to him:
Worship represents one of the most important and most exciting activities we can pursue. Whenever I think about worship, I remember what the children of Israel experienced when they returned to Jerusalem from captivity and began to rebuild the city. You can find the record of an important part of their activity recorded in Nehemiah 8. I recommend that you turn in your Bible to that story and notice the power of God’s Word (in this case, the Law) and how the people responded.
One of the great passages of Scripture resides at the second part of verse 10: “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Worship brings us great joy. As we come apart from the trials and tribulations of daily life and gather together with our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, our worship becomes a source of great joy. And, we can draw strength from that joy: strength to meet the challenges of each day; strength to overcome those who would pull us down into what John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress calls “the slough of despond.”
Do you find joy lacking in your life? Then go to a church this Sunday where you will find God’s people worshipping Him in the splendor of His holiness. In other words, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ask God to make the truth of Psalm 96:8-10 come alive in your heart and in your mind.
You will be very glad you did!
Copyright © 2009 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
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