Have you ever felt that the world and its cares have crowded your mind? So much to do. So little time. Inspiration may be present but has faded behind all the things that “need” to be done.
Mankind is called to worship God not as a religious duty but out of recognition of who he is. Throughout the Psalms, the reader is encouraged to worship God. Psalm 96 is a special call to all of us to worship because of his deeds but also because he is uniquely worthy of all praise.
The Psalmist reminds us that God is great and is to be respected (feared) by all that he created.
“Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” (Psalm 96:1-6)
In contrast to false gods, splendour and majesty are before him. There can be no comparison to God. Not only does he create, he redeems, he saves, he sanctifies, he heals, he draws near and he hears. He is the friend of sinners. He is the deliverer. He is the righteous judge. He is a shelter. He is the teacher and much more. This person, this one who has no beginning and no end, who is not a captive of time and who loves and knows each and every person that has ever or will ever live is worthy of all praise no matter what is happening in our lives.
Things are always competing for our attention and periodically we may be tempted to worship things or people who touch our lives but God alone is surrounded by splendour and majesty.
So, is worship just one more task to perform each day? One might look at worship that way because life with all its activities has crowded out the glory of God. Worshiping God is not just another item on our “to do list”. It is a result of seeing who God is. Yes we should worship every day, but it’s because we see who he is.
On a number of occasions, Jesus had been invited to have dinner at someones home. In Matthew and Mark we read about Jesus eating at the house of a man known as Simon the leper. John tells us of Jesus eating at the home of Lazarus. Luke records another instance when Jesus was eating at the house of a Pharisee. Each time, a woman came with a vial of perfume and poured it out on Jesus. The woman who went to the house of the Pharisee wept and wiped Jesus feet with her hair. Luke 7:38 tells us that she stood behind Jesus and wept. She saw the one who is worthy of worship and then she expressed her worship irregardless of every other activity, conversation or agenda represented by those in the room. This is a wonderful example to us.
See God! Worship is a response to seeing who God is amidst the things of this world. Nothing is greater or worthy of worship.
If trouble surrounds you, if you’re rushed, if you’re tired, if you’re confused, stop. For a moment turn your thoughts to who God is. He loves you and cares for you but instead of thinking about how God can help you, just turn your thoughts to the greatness of who he is with no thoughts of receiving.
Worship is giving with no ulterior motive. It appears that the women who anointed Jesus with perfume approached him with worship and not with any obvious personal wants.
Do we need to worship the Creator? Yes, but let’s not add it to our “to do list”. Instead, let’s focus our attention on him. Like the women in the gospels, we will worship him for who he is without making it just another activity on our “to do list” but because he is uniquely worthy. We appreciate your Comments