Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. -Psalm 100:2-4
When contemplating what it means to become a mature Christian, stop for a moment and consider the importance of our attitude regarding worship. What is our concept of worship, and how do we know when we have indeed worshipped God? Hopefully you know the feeling of walking away from a time of worship and thinking to yourself that it was a genuine worship experience. You felt it in your heart, and you experienced it in your soul. You knew beyond any doubt that you had been in the presence of the Lord. We do well to understand that simply sitting inside of a church building while hymns are being sung is no guarantee that authentic worship is taking place. People can be worshipping all around us, and yet it is possible for us to miss out on the experience. We must take an active part in worship in order to fully experience it.
Consider that a student may show up for class, but that is no guarantee that he is going to learn something. What must he do? He must tune his mind for learning, listen carefully, pay attention, be in ontrol of his thoughts lest they wander, get out his notebook, take some notes, and have his lessons with him. And there is one more vital component: he must come prepared to learn. Each of these principles can be applied to worship. Showing up is something, and I am always grateful for anyone who simply comes to the worship service. But for us to fully experience God’s presence in worship, we must take an active part. We will have a difficult time worshipping if our minds are a hundred miles away. Whatever we are dealing with can wait an hour or so while we focus on exalting the Lord Jesus Christ.
I had a conversation with a man recently and he posed to me an interesting question. He asked, “Do you believe that faith in God is supernatural?” Without hesitation I responded that yes, I do believe that. Faith in the Living God transcends human experience. Jesus Christ coming into the world, His virgin birth, His sinless life, the miracles He did, and His resurrection, are all supernatural. Our worship is an affirmation that we believe in and have experienced that which we cannot see. By faith we know and affirm these foundational truths, as stated in Hebrews 11: 1:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)
Let us seek to view worship as a positive and uplifting expression of our faith in God rather than an obligation. The growing and maturing follower of Christ will make worship of the Lord a priority, resulting in a deepening of faith and commitment to Christ.
Trying to live the Christian life without worship is like trying to raise a garden without rain. Attempting to live the abundant life in Christ apart from worship is like trying to sail without strong winds. Endeavoring to walk with God in the fullness of His grace without worship is akin to trying to maintain proper nutrition without eating. Worship brings us into the presence, power, and holiness of Almighty God. Through worship the fire of God will fall, but also the soothing balm of His mercy. Worship inspires, motivates, and encourages believers to a closer walk with God.
Lift up the name of the Lord in worship. Experience the blessings of exalting God through worship. Never be contended with going through the motions, but rather move forward in spiritual growth and maturity.
From, Get up and Grow: Becoming and Mature Christian, by Dan Birchfield
