Worship is the Heart's Response to the Glory of God

Feb 23

Feb 23 Worship is the Heart's Response to the Glory of God

Devos and Studies, Psalms Devos_Studies, God's Word, Worship

Worship—responding to God’s glory

Worship is the reasonable response to an awareness of the presence of God. Worship is an honest expression of adoration for the Lord—His power, holiness, and love.

The origin of the English word worship carries the sense of being worthy. Worship is a near ancient word originally expressed as worth-ship.

David’s passionate exhortation to worship the Lord—YHWH, the Eternal One—is the outburst of someone caught up in spontaneous worship. It is David’s rapturous declaration in a moment of recognizing who the Lord is in all His glory.

God’s glory is simply the radiance of His inner nature. The shining out of His being. He is Light and the Source and Sustainer of it. Therefore, the visible sense of His presence is brilliant light, as noted in many places in the Bible (Matt 17:1-6; Luke 2:9; Acts 7:55; 9:3-6).

The glory of God is beyond description. The Lord’s glory can only be described by its powerful effect upon creation, including humanity.

This psalm shouts this out. The angels and all creation are part of declaring God's greatness!

Scripture

A psalm by David.
Give to the Lord, you heavenly beings. Give to the Lord glory and power. Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves. Worship the Lord in his holy splendor. [vss 1-2]
The voice of the Lord rolls over the water. The God of glory thunders. The Lord shouts over raging water. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. [vss 3-5]
He makes Lebanon skip along like a calf and Mount Sirion like a wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness tremble. The Lord makes the wilderness of Kadesh tremble. The voice of the Lord splits the oaks and strips ⌊the trees of⌋ the forests bare. Everyone in his temple is saying, “Glory!” [vss 6-9]
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned as king forever. The Lord will give power to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. [vss 10-11]
(Psalm 29:1-11 GW) [Context– Psalm 29]

Reflections and Insights

We’re exhorted by David to—

Give to the Lord glory and power. Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves. Worship the Lord in his holy splendor.

We “give” our worship to the Lord, but He will never demand it. He doesn’t need to demand it because true worship flows out of the heart of a person. True worship is not done out of obligation.

Worship is the response of a person’s heart who realizes who the Lord is in all His holy splendor. Worship isn't just a human act. All of creation responds with awe and wonder and submission to God.

Worship, biblical worship, is simply an expression of the heart towards God. No specific form is required. How it's expressed is not so important, but that it is expressed.

God ignores whatever limits or restrictions people attempt to impose as acceptable worship. He sees the expression of the heart, not how it comes out.

When people constrain expressions of worship to specific forms, our very relationship with God is affected and could become restricted.

Since God is an eternal Spirit by nature (John 1:14, 18; 4:24), our worship of God is spiritual, not physical. It is not to be limited to some form but expressed as a genuine response to God.

And as David declares at the end of Psalm 29, the Lord will bless those who are true worshippers. He will bless us with His power and His peace.

So let us worship Him in the splendor of His holiness as He deserves because He is the Lord!

Digging deeper to Make it personal...

Review the Scriptures above as you consider the following questions

Who is prompted to give worship to God? What is the basis for this worship?
What are the various ways God's voice is heard and made known? Who responds and how is this expressed?
Who is included in the various expressions of worship throughout this psalm?
How is the Lord described towards the ending? What seems to be the benefit for those who worship the Lord?
As you read this psalm, do you sense the power and awe of God recognized by creation?
When you think of worshipping God, what comes to mind? Are these learned behaviors or spontaneous expressions on your part?
When you watch a powerful thunderstorm or a beautiful sunrise or sunset, what do you feel inside? How does this come out, or how do you express it?
Have you learned to worship God in various ways, or do you feel limited by how others express their worship?