It's Better for Us to Worship Than to Whine
Photo by Luis Alberto Sánchez Terrones on Unsplash
Replacing Our Whys with Worship
It can be hard to understand why some things happen in our lives. This is true for all of us at some point in life. For some of us, it may seem more the norm than an exception.
When puzzled by certain situations in our lives, or confounded when unwanted complications invade our lives, asking why is a typical response. But we can choose to respond differently if we want to.
Years ago, I heard someone say, "Don't why God, worship Him!" It's great advice. We all question why certain things happen, but this question can easily turn into whining when we only focus on ourselves and our concerns.
We've all seen the whiny child with a frazzled mom or dad in a store, usually followed by a mid-store meltdown. It ain't a pretty scene! Many of us have been both the whining child and the frazzled parent.
This can easily be us with the Lord. We can become like self-focused children who want things to go our way all the time. That is the textbook definition of our inherited selfish nature. We are all born with an “it’s-all-about-me” nature.
No one wants to be around a petulant, tantrum-throwing child for long. It’s even more true when adults act the same way. We expect children to grow out of their ill-natured behavior as adults. But not everyone does.
Psalm 95 exhorts and reminds us of our choice between whining and worship when life doesn’t seem to go our way.
Scripture
Come, let’s sing joyfully to the Lord. Let’s shout happily to the rock of our salvation.
Let’s come into his presence with a song of thanksgiving. Let’s shout happily to him with psalms.
The Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth, and the mountain peaks are his.
The sea is his. He made it, and his hands formed the dry land. [vss 1-5]
Come, let’s worship and bow down. Let’s kneel in front of the Lord, our maker,
because he is our God and we are the people in his care, the flock that he leads.
If only you would listen to him today! [vss 6-7]
“Do not be stubborn like my people were at Meribah, like the time at Massah in the desert.
Your ancestors challenged me and tested me there, although they had seen what I had done.
For 40 years I was disgusted with those people.
So I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts continue to stray. They have not learned my ways.’
That is why I angrily took this solemn oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest!’" [vss 8-11]
[Context– Psalm 95]
Reflections and Insights
There are several hymns and worship songs taken directly from this psalm. Although it begins with an uplifting invitation, it ends with a solemn reminder. It begins with encouragement and an exhortation to worship, and ends with a warning about being stubborn.
It might be easy to miss a simple truth embedded in Psalm 95. You've heard of selective memory, but we can also be selective in what we hear or read.
The warning at the end is a history lesson, a reminder of an entire generation who paid a stiff penalty for their unbelief by complaining and whining. Even though Israel experienced freedom from their slavery in Egypt and saw miraculous events, their hearts were full of bitterness and self-focus.
This can easily be us with the Lord unless we heed the exhortative invitation of this psalm. We're encouraged to come and sing joyfully to the Lord and to worship and bow before Him. To acknowledge Him for who He is—our sovereign King and Creator.
This is a choice we often need to make—between whining at the Lord or worshipping Him. It's an issue of the heart. Will we be stubborn and willful, or thankfully surrender our hearts and lives to the Lord? It’s our choice.
One simple thing I’ve learned is this—worship is always better than whining! It sounds nicer, too.
Reflection—
Do you find yourself whining at the Lord more than you worship Him? Let go of the whining and complaining and lift your voice and heart to the Rock of your salvation!
Prayer Focus—
When you are focused on yourself and your concerns—remember who the Lord is—He is a great God and a great king above all gods! Ask the Lord to help you remember who He is and that He cares for you.
Here’s a contemporary song taken directly from Psalm 95 by the Australian group Sons of Korah—Psalm 95 by Sons of Korah
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