06 May Created to Worship
One of the most memorable moments in recent sports history is known as “The Shot”. Maybe you remember where you were when it happened. Maybe you were there! With just a few seconds left on the clock, the Raptors inbound the ball. The crowd is roaring. “It’s off to Leonard…defended by Simmons…is this the dagger?”
The ball is up! It’s coming down!
A hush falls over the fans. Nobody is blinking. The world waits with bated breath.
Bounce…bounce…bounce…bounce…it’s in! “OHHHHH! Game! Series! Toronto has won!”
The crowd erupts, and decibel readings are off the charts! A range of emotions can be found with a quick scan of the crowd. Tears flowing, some joyful, some sorrowful. Any stranger around you with purple on is ready to embrace. Hands getting raw from clapping. Voices hoarse from cheering.
I’ve been to my share of events like this. The Miracle in Motown, Farewell to the Joe, a Stanley Cup Parade, and a few others. After these events are done, and I find my own voice hoarse, I always have the same thought: We, as humans, were created to worship. It’s just what we worship and in what way that changes. Unfortunately, we (I am first in line here!) worship other things far more, or dare I say far better, than the Lord.
The book of Psalms is a book of hymns, prayers, and songs to the Lord. It has many writers, but a lot of it is about worship of Almighty God. It’s the longest book in the Bible with the longest and shortest chapters in the Bible. Psalm 1 is all about being rooted in God’s Word – that’s the start! Psalm 150 – the end of the book – is all about praising the Lord. Read this carefully.
Psalm 150
Let Everything Praise the LORD
[1] Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
praise Him in His mighty heavens!
[2] Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
[3] Praise Him with trumpet sound;
praise Him with lute and harp!
[4] Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
praise Him with strings and pipe!
[5] Praise Him with sounding cymbals;
praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
[6] Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
We are created to praise the Lord. Even the first commandment tells us whom we are to worship. But we know that we live in a fallen world. We will scream and shout at a concert or a sports game, but when Sunday morning comes, we will stand stiff and barely lift our voices. Why is this?
I think we’ve trained our own minds and hearts to “arena life”. Arena life is exciting! Fans, crazy plays, cool artists, athletes, loud music – it’s all designed to pump us up! But church life is different. The saints are not going crazy, the preacher doesn’t make goal line saves, and the worship leader isn’t just putting on a show. So, when this stuff doesn’t happen in the church, we aren’t entertained.
However we aren’t created to be entertained; we are created to worship, and worship of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is far more exciting than what the world has to offer. When it isn’t, we are in big trouble. I’m not saying that we need to start the wave in church, but we were created to worship our God and King, so we need to be excited about this and be on time for this and sing like we mean what we’re singing!
Loved ones of Redemption Bible Chapel, we were created to worship – let’s worship God above all else!
