Called to Worship

PSALM 100

1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

In Psalm 100, often labelled a “A Psalm of Thanksgiving,” we are given nothing less than a divine Call to Worship, directly to us from Heaven, and reminded that we have been divinely CALLED to worship. It’s what God made us for, and it is the purpose for every person ever born (“all the earth”).

Everybody worships something, but of utmost importance is WHO you worship. Here we see most clearly that our worship is to be completely centered on and for the glory of ONE and ONLY ONE PERSON: The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. The worship of anyone or anything else is sinful idolatry and a great offense and affront to our Creator, who will not share His glory with another! He alone is the one true God, who created us and has saved us by His great grace. He alone is most praiseworthy, beautiful, and glorious in His unchanging attributes, being always and only good, full of lovingkindness (mercy), and faithful. When we behold Him with the eyes of our hearts for who He truly is and all that He has done, the question changes from “Why should I worship?” to “How can I keep from worshipping Him?” In response to seeing but a glimpse of His greatness, we cannot help but do so.

   
     Yet, worship is not limited to a single action; it is multi-faceted. The psalmist identifies two major categories of worship: Acts of the tongue (verbal proclamations like shouting, singing, & praising) and acts of the body and life (serving Him, knowing Him, entering into and enjoying His presence, etc.) We find that worship is not so much something we do as it is something we are! As believers in Christ, we now have a new identity: Worshippers of the Living God. Thus, worship is not just something we do on a Sunday morning in a church building for an hour or two; it ought to be a continuous, 24/7 reality in our hearts and lives.


     And as the heart is the essential component in our worship, the psalmist here emphasizes how we go about our worship: “joyfully,” “with gladness,” “with thanksgiving” and “with praise.” We see that when it comes to worship, it is not just about what we do, but HOW we do it, that matters. It’s the condition of our heart in its feelings and affections as we worship and serve our God that is essential. And so, when it comes to your worship lately, How are you doing at how you’re doing what you’re doing? Has your worship and service to God been characterized by joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and praise? If not, what’s been getting in the way? And what are you going to do about it?


     It is true that these virtues are the fruit of the Spirit – they are Holy Spirit-produced, not self-manufactured by our own efforts. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean this happens automatically. We still bear responsibility to cooperate with the Spirit and position ourselves spiritually in the pathway of His sanctifying work that He wants to do in our lives.

So, if you have been operating with a lack of joy, and an absence of gratitude, and/or a hesitancy to praise, commit to be purposeful in taking the following steps:

1. Admit it, confess it, and repent of it
2. Pray for the Spirit to produce His fruit in your life!
3. Examine your life for the ultimate joy-killer, sin
4. Guard your heart from the world’s influences
5. Spend focused time with God daily
6. Keep doing the things you know to do, even when you don’t feel like it!
7. And preach to yourself (Directing your body and feelings rather than them directing you!)

By God’s grace, may we increasingly become a people who truly worship our awesome God joyfully and gladly, with thanksgiving and praise, and give Him the glory He deserves!

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION:
1. What most stood out to you in this deep dive of Psalm 100? What fresh insight pertaining to worship did the Lord bring to your awareness?
2. Which of the reasons to worship presented in this psalm most stirs your heart to worship God even more and to make personal changes in your life? Explain your reasons.
3. Why do we sometimes miss the fullness of joy available to us when we worship and serve the Lord? How can we become more joyful in our worship to God?
4. What correlations and connections can we make about this psalm and God's powerful deliverance of Daniel in the lion's den? How was Daniel a true worshipper of God?