Worship Thoughts - Part 3
The #3 purpose of worship is for our personal relationship with God to deepen and further our worship.
The interactions and disciplines of worship develop how we interact with God. We eventually encounter a real relationship with Jesus and that changes everything. Suddenly there are wells to explore, levels to achieve, or depths to swim with God. Once you have a foundation of ministering to God and learning to respond to God in worship, you will discover there are many layers to worship and your relationship with God drives those new discoveries.
Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Worship isn’t a vending machine interaction where I sing and receive. It’d be more of a video game with sidequests, skills, and weapons you achieve to make you better at the actual game plot of worship. Worship is always a choice to engage. That's the main plot and the longer I do those, I realize the game is bigger than I first thought. I have new spaces to explore and more skills to develop with God. David was an example of this, so be encouraged to be authentic in your expression, needs, joy, frustration, fear, or gratitude and explore in worship. In this expanding revelation space, worship becomes so much more than music services and so much more often than a once-a-week activity.
Psalm 145:1-7
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Worship should be a biblically guided time where we explore with God. I might feel convicted of something like the focus of the cross or God’s holiness and that’s where I settle my worship. Other times there might be a scripture that is on repeat or an old hymn I keep hearing so I will sing that out. There have been times of warfare or declaring the truths of the bible that need to be spoken aloud with authority because that’s where God’s at in the moment. We agree with heaven in these times and that’s where deeper worship opens up because we’re being led to where God’s heart is and we are praying, worshiping, singing, adoring, and warring for what God is concerned about. There’s power released when we are following and pursuing what Bob Sorge calls “the wave of his spirit.”
Psalm 40:5
Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Most have been in “weird,” worship settings and it’s probably because of this topic. It is easy to become strange, crazy, and ungrounded in services when we allow for all manner of free-for-all worship. Yet legalism, and “being right,” is not the place I want to settle as I think it’s limiting on what God can do or be. I’d contend that we need to pursue God more than ever before in worship and prayer. Correcting and training in righteousness can go hand in hand with this deepening space. I don’t think we can ever say we’ve learned it all or don’t need to correct something that got off. Yet there’s more and it starts by joining God in the game.
Galatians 5:16-18; 25
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Worship isn’t a vending machine interaction where I sing and receive. It’d be more of a video game with sidequests, skills, and weapons you achieve to make you better at the actual game plot of worship. Worship is always a choice to engage. That's the main plot and the longer I do those, I realize the game is bigger than I first thought. I have new spaces to explore and more skills to develop with God. David was an example of this, so be encouraged to be authentic in your expression, needs, joy, frustration, fear, or gratitude and explore in worship. In this expanding revelation space, worship becomes so much more than music services and so much more often than a once-a-week activity.
Psalm 145:1-7
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Worship should be a biblically guided time where we explore with God. I might feel convicted of something like the focus of the cross or God’s holiness and that’s where I settle my worship. Other times there might be a scripture that is on repeat or an old hymn I keep hearing so I will sing that out. There have been times of warfare or declaring the truths of the bible that need to be spoken aloud with authority because that’s where God’s at in the moment. We agree with heaven in these times and that’s where deeper worship opens up because we’re being led to where God’s heart is and we are praying, worshiping, singing, adoring, and warring for what God is concerned about. There’s power released when we are following and pursuing what Bob Sorge calls “the wave of his spirit.”
Psalm 40:5
Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Most have been in “weird,” worship settings and it’s probably because of this topic. It is easy to become strange, crazy, and ungrounded in services when we allow for all manner of free-for-all worship. Yet legalism, and “being right,” is not the place I want to settle as I think it’s limiting on what God can do or be. I’d contend that we need to pursue God more than ever before in worship and prayer. Correcting and training in righteousness can go hand in hand with this deepening space. I don’t think we can ever say we’ve learned it all or don’t need to correct something that got off. Yet there’s more and it starts by joining God in the game.
Galatians 5:16-18; 25
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Comments
Post a Comment