Echoes of Worship

Psalms 27:4a

One thing have I desired of the LORD,

that will I seek after... 

The Lord has been showing me and teaching me a lot of lessons lately. But one of the most important ones he has shown me has been the necessity, and the importance of worship. This psalm was written by King David. King David, a man whom God said was after his own heart. This man from whose line Jesus came desired one thing from the Lord. What was it? What could this great man who had been blessed with riches, power, and everything a man could desire, possibly want? What is the one thing David sought for? 

Psalms 27:4a

One thing have I desired of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life...

That is what David desired. David desired to dwell in the house of the LORD forever. What an amazing statement. I want you to take a step back now and really grasp this. David was a king, he had riches, he had servants, He had so many things on this earth to make him happy. And yet he is saying here, "LORD, my wealth, my riches mean nothing to me. There is nothing on this earth that I desire except to dwell in your holy and glorious house forever. All I really want is to be with you." Whoa! What a statement that David is making. How much humility and eternal perspective does it take to say "all of this means nothing, I simply want you." Now how many of us can truly say that? How many truly desire the Lord that much, that we would rather have him than all the glory and splendor of a mighty King? But let's back up for a second. Why did David desire to be in God's house so much? For what reason did David desire so strongly to be in God's that he would say it's the one things that he seeks after? 

Psalms 27:4

One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire in his temple.

As if this verse couldn't get more humbling. "All of this," David says, "all of my glory, all my riches, all of the beauty and splendor all around me I do not desire. I desire to dwell with my LORD and to gaze upon the glorious beauty and majesty of Yahweh." Again whoa! David, a man who knew what splendor and beauty looked like, knew that the beauty of all the universe is simply a fogged mirror that shows a tiny fraction of our God's true beauty! And David wants to behold him in all of His glory! He wants to sit at his feet and ask him questions, he desires to speak to the God of all creation and to look on the majesty of the one who holds the stars in his hands and who holds creation together by his strength. But again I ask why? Why does David desire all of this so much? 

Psalms 27:6

And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

He says that he will worship God, he wants to worship God. The one thing that David desired, is worship. He wanted to be in the house of the LORD, He wanted to be where the lord was, where praises to our God abound and his beauty and majesty inspire songs of praise that are beyond anything human creativity can imagine. But why? What is so important about worship that David says it's the only thing he desires? 

Matthew 4:10

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’”

What is interesting about this verse? Jesus doesn't say, " worship God and him only shall you worship," which is what you would expect him to say, no he says, " worship God and him only shall you SERVE." You see there is a,direct correlation between worship and service! Jesus points out here, when he quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, just how important worship is. But why is it so important? Why do we worship? Well service, true service, comes from the heart. We are called to serve in love, and if true service comes from the heart, then true service that we are called to comes from a heart full of love. And worship, worship brings clearly to our attention all the things about our God and our Lord Jesus Christ that inspires love in our hearts for our Creator and Savior. Worship in its true form is a act that inspires more love than anything. When we come before the foot of the cross, when we behold the sacrifice of our Savior, we often simply behold his wondrous glory. But if we come to the foot of the cross with hearts willing and open not only to behold his glory, but also to praise and worship his glorious sacrifice and grace, then that worship from a heart of surrender becomes in our hearts a seed of love that is watered by knowledge of the magnificence of God, and the extravagance of his grace. And that knowledge gives us more and more to praise Him about, which then pushes us to pursue more knowledge. And then when those seeds are watered and grow to fullness they bear fruit for our Lord and savior, and that fruit becomes apparent in our lives the more we worship, and when that worship turns to fruit in our lives, that fruit of love for our Savior that is inspired by worship, and watered by knowledge becomes true service in our lives. Because that fruit of love in our hearts that is inspired, inspires us to make sacrifices, lay down our lives, push harder than we've ever pushed, and serve others with Christlike love. Why do we worship? Because through worship our hearts become tuned to grace, and that grace when beheld through the eyes of praise pushes us and compels us to truly serve our savior. 

Hear the echoes of our God calling you to worship him in the splendor of His holiness! 

Psalms 29:1-2

Ascribe to the LORD Glory

A Psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.