Genuine Worship

Scripture Reading: Psalm 95:6-7

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.  Today, if you will hear His voice:

Worship by definition means to assign or declare the worth of something or someone.  According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.  My pastor, Jamey Hunt, defines worship as declaring what we value most.  Worship can be displayed and communicated in many different ways, but the point is worship is expressive.  

The act of bowing down implies worship in that it is defined as a form of greeting, consent, courtesy, honor, acknowledgement, reverence, submission or veneration.  Bowing down before someone is also an act of humility or the acknowledgment that you are in the presence of a celebrity, a sovereign, an authority, a dignitary, or other VIP.  It is a sign of respect and honor for the position someone holds, not necessarily because his or her actions, behaviors or abilities are deserving of such esteem.

However, genuine worship of God is based upon who He is, what He had done and that fact that He is worthy!  William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury described worship as, “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 of 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 the source of all actual sin.”  Before we can worship God genuinely, we must first acknowledge our sinfulness and unworthiness; willingly submit to His authority; saturate our minds with the truth of His word; and have a sense of awe and wonder that we are in the presence of a Holy God.

The psalmist had not only come to an understanding of authentic worship, he also wanted others to join him in acknowledging the Lord as our supreme Master, our Creator and Sustainer, our Sovereign God, our Shepherd.  As I meditate on this verse and contemplate the reasons for worship, I am reminded that Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep . . . My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”  John 10:11, 27-28 

Jesus gave His life for me so that my sins could be forgiven and I could be one of His sheep.  He has given me eternal life, meaning even though my body will die, my soul will live forever in heaven with Him – I will dwell in His pasture.  I am safe and secure because no one can snatch me from my Shepherd’s hand.  Jesus knows me – He has counted every hair on my head and written my name on the palm of His hand.  Because I am His, when He speaks I recognize His voice.  When my husband speaks, I know his voice; when my Dad speaks, I know his voice.  I recognize their voices because I belong to them.  Likewise, I belong to Jesus, so when He speaks to me, be it through His Word, prayer or circumstances, I hear His voice.  

God gives me the incredible privilege of coming before His throne, of entering into His presence, of listening to my hopes, dreams, desires, needs and often my ranting and ravings.  Then He gives me exactly what I need – not necessarily what I want, but what He, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, has determined to be His perfect plan for my life.  Because His plan for me is good, I follow Him trusting He will lead me beside still waters and in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  He restores my soul and is with me even when I walk through darkest valleys.  No one else does that for me, or for you!   He is my God, my Savior, my Lord, my King, my Master, my Father, my Maker, my Redeemer, and my Good Shepherd.  He is my EVERYTHING and He is worthy of my praise because He is the great I AM!  So yes, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  For He is our God and only He is worthy of our worship!

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