Tag: worship

Psalm 98

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Sing a new song to the Lord!
He has worked miracles,
and with his own powerful arm,
he has won the victory.
2 The Lord has shown the nations
that he has the power to save
and to bring justice.
3 God has been faithful
in his love for Israel,
and his saving power is seen
everywhere on earth.
4 Tell everyone on this earth
to sing happy songs
in praise of the Lord.
5 Make music for him on harps.
Play beautiful melodies!
6 Sound the trumpets and horns
and celebrate with joyful songs
for our Lord and King!
7 Command the ocean to roar
with all of its creatures,
and the earth to shout
with all of its people.
8 Order the rivers
to clap their hands,
and all of the hills
to sing together.
9 Let them worship the Lord!
He is coming to judge
everyone on the earth,
and he will be honest
and fair. (Contemporary English Version)
 
            I hope you don’t miss the point of the psalm:  sing to the Lord a new song.  Yes a “new” song.  Other than the fact we ought to bring fresh music to our worship of God, this is a summons to get an original voice.  Instead of going down the same ruts in our speaking and living, being attentive to God’s mighty deeds helps us break out into new vistas of living.  This attention to God’s works through a new song becomes so invigorating that everyone and everything on earth is encouraged to join into the imaginative expression of praise.
 
            We are to praise God in this present time because of what he has done in the past, always looking to the future when he will come again.  If we don’t make the effort to offer praise that is fresh, creative, and thoughtful for our present time, then we ought not to be surprised when a watching world gives a shoulder-shrugging “meh” to our tepid singing.  And if such vibrant praise seems foreign, then the time is past due for a renewed focus on the works of God in history because he really has done miraculous things for us.
 

 

            Mighty God, your holy arm of power has done incredible works in history.  What is more, you have done influential works in my life, especially through deliverance from evil and transformation of heart.  For this, and much more, I praise the gracious and wonderful name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.  Amen.

Exodus 35:1-29

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            At first glance this Old Testament passage might seem a bit tedious, perhaps even boring.  After all, getting the details on the furnishings for building the tabernacle (the Ark of the Covenant, the utensils for worship and sacrifice, and the tent that houses it all) can be laborious.  But that is the point.  It took a great deal of planning, effort, and commitment to realize it all.  Although Moses received the instructions and revelation from God on the mountain, he still had to communicate it to the people and solicit their help.
 
            What we see here is a wonderful synergy between God and the people, a kind of divine/human cooperative and a spiritual rhythm of revelation and response.  The contributions and the work were done by people “whose heart stirred” them to give and labor.  The people freely gave of their things and of themselves to realize the accomplishment of the tabernacle’s construction. 
 
            True worship of God has as its epicenter a dialogue between the divine and the human.  God speaks, and the people respond.  God reveals, and the people’s hearts are stirred.  Worship is cheapened when it is mere duty and drudgery, an obligation and nothing more.  What is more, one-way communication is not worship; it is a monologue.  Worship is not designed to be a passive activity of sitting and soaking.  Moses and God’s people seem genuinely enthused to participate and to be a part of what God was calling them to do.  Worship that comes from willing hearts is a beautiful thing, because encountering God and being stirred within by him is a unique and purposeful relationship – and it isn’t boring.
 

 

            Gracious God, just as you laid it upon the hearts of people long ago to participate in the work of worship, so impress my heart with your mission in this world.  I give you my life along with my possessions so that my entire self will be dedicated to the worship of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-5

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Isaiah saw a vision of God in his throne room.  It was a grand, majestic, and transcendent vision of a God who dominates the entire setting.  The train of God’s robe filled the temple.  This is Isaiah’s way of saying that the vision he saw was a really big one.  God is immense and huge.  It is vital that we see the bigness of our God.  Gaining a vision of the hugeness of God is what causes our human problems to be seen as small.
 
            We are to take our cues from the seraphs that were worshiping God.  They were in the presence of God’s immensity and the seraphs gave unceasing praise.  A seraph is an angel with the job description to glorify God with continual adoration.  The seraphs physical description symbolizes their function:  covering their face symbolizes humility in God’s presence; covering their feet identifies that they are on holy ground; and, flying symbolizes their work to do God’s bidding. 
 
            So, then, the seraphs have two-thirds wing power for worship, and one-third wing power for work.  If this is any kind of indication how God’s creatures are to conduct their lives, we as humans have a great deal of life-adjustment to make in order to accommodate the worship of God into our lives. 
 
            Perhaps we see our problems as so large because we have a small view of God.  This must be inverted so that we see a big God who can take care of our puny situations.  The only way this is going to happen is if we have a vision of God, and the only way having a vision of God is going to occur is if we put ourselves in a position to see God. 
 

 

            Holy God, you are very large and very in charge over all your creation.  When I contemplate your bigness, I realize how small I am and how much I really need you.  My life is yours.  Here I am.  I belong to you. Amen.

2 Samuel 6:16-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            King David had one whopper of a worship procession when he brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  It was a great celebration filled with praise, generosity, and dancing.  Yet, David’s wife, Michal, was a by-stander to the entire event.  She critically watched the worship service from afar and judged her husband for his part in it.  Furthermore, Michal let David know it when he got home.  But David was undaunted.  He was committed to the worship of his God.  The story finishes with a cryptic note on Michal, that she had no children to the day of her death.  This is meant to convey both the physical reality of barrenness, and the sad fact that she was spiritually barren, bereft of the ability to praise the One true God.
 
            Far too many persons take the posture of Michal when it comes to worship.  They sit and watch, critically nit-picking the worship leader, the pastor, and all that takes place.  The problem, however, may not be the worship; it is perhaps more likely that there is a barrenness of soul preventing the person from genuine and passionate worship of God.
 
            We all have damaged souls simply from living in a broken world.  Worship can be a healing activity.  But it needs to be entered into.  There must be participation.  The wounds of the inner person will cause unhealthy patterns of criticism and bitterness unless they are addressed through the pilgrimage of a worshipful procession.  The most difficult journey of all is not an outward trip to another place; the greatest journey is to bravely enter the inner labyrinth of the soul and confront the shadows where old hurts hold onto with tenacity.  This is where worship begins.
            Great God Almighty, you are worthy to be praised.  Give me the courage to worship with abandon and be unconcerned with what others might think about it, so that I can be healed within and be generous without hindrance.  May Jesus Christ be praised.  Amen.