Worship

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” – 1 Chronicles 16:29

            Worship is found throughout the scriptures.  The Jews gathered at Passover to worship, David danced before the Lord in worship, Solomon dedicated the temple in worship.  On the day of Pentecost they worshipped, and in the church, they made worship a central theme.  Throughout the Bible, God’s people gathered to worship him.

God gives us clear direction on how we are to worship.  We are to worship the Father “in Spirit and in truth.”  We are to sing praises, lift holy hands, pray, and exhort with scripture.  Furthermore, he calls us to worship the “Lord in the beauty of holiness”. God and Christ desire this worship, and he is worthy of it.  He is worthy of the truest and most fervent worship we can offer. He is due it because he created us, died for us, sought us, and sanctified us.  God seeks such to worship, secondly, because true worship brings mankind to its best state.  When you worship God in the beauty of holiness it follows that you must be in His holiness.  Thereby bringing you into the highest possible plain you can achieve.  Do we obtain and live in this state by our might and power?  No, certainly not, rather by the power of Christ within.  He can banish the sin and elevate man into adoption with His dear Son.  We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ when we offer ourselves, the first fruits of our entire being in sacrifice to him.  We offer in worship.  This we bring to God in reference each day.   Why?  Because we love Him and worship him.  This is done individually, and collectively.  Seldom, do you hear Christians question the value of worship (mostly the debate is around when, why, and how).  We find strength and power in meeting, singing, and sharing what God has done for us.  However, if the emphasis and validity of worship rest solely on just gathering then your worship will be forever shallow.  True worship must be an inward experience before it can be an outward one.  Worship is not a production or theater.  Granted, what is within may produce what is without, i.e., singing, rising of hands, rising emotion, etc.  But that is not the emphasis.  It cannot be, else one day your worship will run dry, and turn false.  Humanity will worship just about anything.  We see men and women gathering to a: sports team, band, or a specific person of fame.  They show reverent love for a person or entity, and would gladly devote their time, money, and energy to glimpse their glory.  There are men who worship their women and women who worship their man.  The worship of money, recognition, government officials, ideals, patriotism.  Perhaps the one that cuts the closest is the worship of the experience of worship: the songs, the crowd, the rising emotion; the idea is that unless you have these things then you have failed to worship.  Unless the experience is within it can only produce counterfeits without. 

The beauty of holiness within testifies to the glory of God and the bending of your will to Him in worship.  This genuine experience of the heart brings about genuine, true worship and it manifests itself in singing, lifting your hands, crying, praying, or simply being still and reverent as you drink in the presence of God.  It manifests itself in sacrifice, giving, witnessing, and spending time with God.  It manifests itself in countless ways to the glory of God and Christ.  Thank God for worship!  Collectively, individually, within and without the church.  Thank God for worship.  Let us gather, let us pray, let us seek…. let us everyone: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.