Delightful Worship!


Psalm 111

1 Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart
    in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord;
    they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.

As many psalms do, Psalm 111 tells us what true worship of God looks like.  First of all, he says that worship is personal. It is intentional and involves all of us.  The psalmist says I will praise God with "ALL of my heart".  God looks at our hearts when we praise him. Are we just going through the motions? Or, is our worship genuine and sincere?

Second, he says worship is public. I.e. "in the assembly". Although we can worship privately, God tells us to worship in public, so we might testify to his goodness and greatness. There is a power in public worship, as those who are earnestly seeking God lift up their voices in praise of the One who made all things in heaven and on earth. It is more to be experienced then to be explained.  In heaven, we will all be worshipping God before his throne. Worship on earth is a foretaste of the feast to come. 

Finallly, he says worship is pleasurable.  The psalmist says to, "delight in the works of the Lord".  Though we can't necessarily see God, we can sure see the works of His hand.  All of Creation testifies to the greatness of the one, true God.  To gaze upon what He has made and to know who made it, is delightful and brings us true pleasure.  

With these qualities in mind, what does your worship life look like?  Is it personal? Is it public?  Does it bring you pleasure?  It is so easy to go through the motions in worship, but God invites into such a more meaningful relationship, as we worship him with all of our hearts!  



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