THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WORSHIP

Psalm 95:1-7

Why should we come before our God with thanksgiving and joyful shouts?
Because our God is great. He deserves our highest praise.
“Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us give a joyous shout to the rock of our salvation! Let us come before him with thanksgiving. Let us sing him psalms and praise. For the Lord is a great God, the great King above all gods. He owns the depths of the earth, and even the mightiest mountains are his. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care.”

The psalmist says let us give a joyous shout…let us sing him psalms and praise. It’s about celebration. Worship is celebration of God. But other churches’ gatherings or worship resemble a funeral rather than a festival. In some churches to smile during worship is considered a mortal sin. People are very stiff. They do not clap nor move their body. To do so means getting that ‘what-are-you-doing look’ from other attenders.

In worship we become preoccupied with the Lord. We don’t watch something happen, we participate in it. It’s coming to a place in one’s life, either alone, with a few, or with many, where one ‘connects’ with the living God. It is almost as though you could reach out and touch Him.
What happens when ‘connection’ occurs?
Whether it’s in a gathering of thousands, or when alone, or perhaps with a few, what happens?

I. WORSHIP MAGNIFIES MY GOD
All else is eclipsed in His presence. Nothing else matters. Like a couple who haven’t seen each other for many years, dahil ang isa ay nagtratrabaho sa abroad, tapos uuwi at magkikita sila sa airport….
Nothing else matters….
It’s not that God becomes bigger when we worship Him. He’s not a balloon. But when we worship God, lumalaki Siya sa ating paningin. Although we know that God is Almighty, that He is powerful, that He knows all things, that He is the Creator of the universe, but we need to remind ourselves often of the greatness of God.
“For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods” Psalm 97:9.



II. WORSHIP ECLIPSES MY FEARS AND WORRIES

When David was being pursued by King Saul, sa halip na matakot siya o mabahala, he worshiped God, “I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints” Psalm 52:9.
Do not allow fear to overwhelm you.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” Psalm 55:22.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7.
When you find yourself worrying, try worship. It’s an antidote to fear and worry. Try it. It does great wonders.

III. WORSHIP CHANGES MY PERSPECTIVE
In 2 Chronicles 20, the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was alarmed by this news and sought the guidance of the Lord. He also gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord.
“Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever’” 2 Chronicles 20:21.
“At the moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir, they turned on each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped” 2 Chronicles 20:22-24.
When things look impossible, try worship. When things are unbearable, try worship. When the future looks gloomy, try worship. When situations look hopeless, worship. When things don’t fall into place and dreams are shattered, worship. I don’t know why but it does great wonders.

IV. WORSHIP REFRESHES MY SPIRIT
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” Psalm 91:1.
“How happy are those who can live in your house, always singing your praises” Psalm 84:4.

V. WORSHIP ENHANCES MY WORK
When I put worship to work in my life, my attitude toward things changes. At this point music plays a vital role. A non-singing Christian is like a non-swimming fish.
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the harp and flute and the harmony of the lyre. You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done” Psalm 92:1-4.
Why is it that the song has dried up in our voices? Why are there so few who sing? I mean really sing heartily to the Lord with full voice? How many sing in the shower?
Our singing is limited to the four corners of the church building. Why?

1. The pressures of life squeeze out our song.
Song requires a free spirit within….creativity, relaxation, freedom from tension. We allow pressures to kill our song.
“If there’s a song in the heart, there’s always a way of singing it.”

2. Someone else sings for us.
The radio, the cd, dvd, mp3, cellphone do the singing for us.

Let me encourage you to start singing again. Yes, even when you’re alone. Express your praise in a song.
Rediscover the joy of singing your praise and adoration back to the Lord. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune (Just don’t sing with a microphone please or desire to be a worship leader.) If your spirit is in harmony with His, the music will be beautiful…and God will be pleased.