week five devotions: worship

8/7/2019 Week Five Devotions: Worship

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Kids, Kings and Creeping Thingsby Bob Kauflin

Psalm 148 is a detailed unpacking of the command to “Let everything that has breath praisethe Lord!” (Ps. 150:6) The first six verses deal with things “in the heights.” Angels, stars, sun,and moon are all exhorted to praise God because He “commanded and they were created.”The remainder of the Psalm demands that everything “from the earth” give glory to God.

What I find fascinating about this passage is that when it comes to praising God, there is

a delightful disregard for status, maturity, or earthly prominence. God has certainly givenhumans a unique position in the created order. We carry the distinction of being the onlyones who have been created “in the image of God.” When God placed Adam and Eve in thegarden, they were responsible to lead creation in giving intelligent, willing praise to God forhis steadfast love and kindness.

But in this Psalm human beings are included with all of creation as those who shouldrightfully give praise, honor, and worship to the Creator. And the order is humbling. Godappropriately commands praise from those who in the world’s eyes are exalted: kings,princes and rulers. But in the previous verse God invites the same response from beastsand creeping things. Right afterwards, he commands praise from maidens and children.What a diverse group! There are a few things I’m struck by as I reflect on this passage.

First, everything was created to bring glory to God. Nothing is excluded. No matter how

exalted or seemingly insignificant, God created everything for his own pleasure and worship.The galaxies and microscopic particles that scientist are just discovering were all broughtinto being long ago to bring glory to their Creator. That means nothing is without purpose,nothing is without meaning. Everything is meant to direct our attention to the wisdom,kindness, and power of the God who created it.

Second, worship isn’t about my value, but God’s. God values our worship primarily becausehe is the object, not because we are the subjects. It’s a crucial distinction. That’s not tosay that He doesn’t take special delight in receiving the worship of those whom He hasredeemed through the atoning sacrifice of His Son. He does. As vs. 14 says, we are thepeople who are “near to him.” But worship is always God’s gift of grace to us before it is ourgift to Him. Worshipping God is simply the greatest privilege we will ever know.

Third, I think this infers something about the kinds of churches we should be seeking

to build. It highlights the glory of the Gospel when international businessmen, politicaldignitaries, young girls, old men, and children worship God alongside each other. Multiplegenerations, various socio-economic classes, and different races gather together to givepraise to the only One Who deserves it. That highlights the truth that it is God’s glory andgifts that bring us together, not our own.

To “praise the Lord” is humbling and unifying. May it look that way in our lives and ourchurches.

Everyday Worshipby A.W. Tozer

It is my experience that the totality of our Christian lives – our entire attitude as persons –must be towards the worship of God! If you do not know the presence of God in youroffice, your factory, your home, then God is not in the church you attend, either! I becamea Christian when I was a young man working in a tire factory in Akron, Ohio. I remembermy work there; but I remember my worship there, too! I had plenty of worshipful tears in myeyes. No one ever asked me about them, but I would not have hesitated to explain them.You can learn to use certain skills until they are automatic. I became so skillful that I coulddo my work and then I could worship God even while my hands were busy. If the love ofGod is in us and the Spirit of God is breathing praise within us, all the musical instruments inheaven are suddenly playing in full support! Even our thoughts become a sanctuary in whichGod can dwell.

In all that comes today and everyday, let us worship God with our life, our work, andeverything that we do.