For many people who are actively seeking
after their Heavenly Father, the worship portion of Sunday morning church, is
their time to spiritually rejuvenate for the craziness of the following work
week that will soon be upon them.
The following WORSHIP acronym can be a great
reminder for everyone as to all that is involved in this process:
Wait upon the
Lord
Offer our lives
as a living sacrifice
Rest in His
presence
Sing unto Him
Humble
ourselves before Him
Intimacy with
God
Pleasing Him
If
anyone in scripture is familiar with worship, it would be King David. His
thoughts of brutal honesty with the Almighty can be found throughout the book of Psalms. David’s example of worship as recorded in 2 Samuel 6 provides
all worshippers with many valuable
lessons in connecting to the Almighty:
1. Worship even when it may bring ridicule David went home so
he could ask the Lord to bless his family. But Saul’s daughter Michal went
out and started yelling at him. “You were really great today!” she said. “You
acted like a dirty old man, dancing around half-naked in front of your
servants' slave-girls.” (2
Samuel 6:20)
You
can hear Michal’s spiteful words. She heaps condemnation upon David, her
husband, for his public display of worship. There is a lesson here: Heartfelt,
expressive worship will often make you look stupid in some people’s eyes. But
this can be a good thing to experience. Am I more like David in my worship, or
more like Michal? Do I worship with a childlike love for Jesus, or a crusty old
stiffness?
2. Worship is all about God David told her,
“The Lord didn’t choose your father or anyone else in your
family to be the leader of his people. The Lord chose me, and I was celebrating in honor
of him. (2
Samuel 6:21)
David’s
worship is God-centered. Because it’s God centered, he doesn’t care what people
think of him. How much is our worship confined because of our
self-consciousness or others-consciousness?
Maybe
it’s because: “I don’t like to sing. I don’t like this song. I can’t clap. I’m
a guy; guys don’t clap. No one else is lifting their hands. I don’t want to be
the hand-raiser.” The list goes on. When our worship is God-centered, we can
worship with abandon.
3. Worship makes you grow deeper
with God “I’ll show you just how great I can be! I’ll
even be disgusting to myself. But those slave-girls you talked about will still
honor me.” (2
Samuel 6:22)
On
being inappropriate, dancing with all your might in a form-fitting linen cloth
would fit the definition of that word, but not for David. How often do we go
outside our self-defined safe zones in worship? Are we seeking to grow in
articulating heart-felt gratefulness to our Heavenly Father?
David
is an example to us of a man who sought to grow in worship, not settle down in
a safe zone. Worship harder. If you need to, lift your hands more. Don’t be so
self-conscious.
4. Worship with all of your being “He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a
linen cloth.” (2
Samuel 6:14)
David
didn’t hold back. Here is the King of Israel, a strong man, a visible man, a
well-known man, and he’s so consumed with what good things God has done that
he’s dancing. David’s total worship is a challenge to us. We are often so
self-conscious that we worship God with reservation.
“The highest form of worship is the
worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the
sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.”
(Billy Graham)[i]
[i] All verses are taken from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible. The WORSHIP acronym is by Anonymous. Source adapted from: “What King David Teaches Us
About Worship” by Jamie Brown
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