Posts about encouraging and instructing our worship

Acceptable

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

I have always viewed this verse as a prayer, something I wanted God to do for me.
Transform my words, and the thoughts that gave rise to them, so that they are acceptable to You.

It’s an honorable, worthy prayer, born of a desire to please God.

It’s not exactly worded like a prayer though.
These are the words that accompany an offering left on an altar.

See, that changes things.
My words are not held up as something for God to fix.
They are an act of worship.
My thoughts are not something I want Him to sanctify.
They are offered to Him as a sacrifice.

Would the last ten conversations I had make much of an offering?
Even if I only counted the substantive ones?
Would the things my mind and emotions landed on yesterday bring delight to the one I claim as LORD?
Were they His kind of thoughts?

May these gifts I give You be acceptable.
May the things I say,
May the things that linger in my heart and mind,
Be gifts worth giving You,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Hello My Name Is Asaph

By Paula

So [David] left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work required; 1 Chronicles 16:37

Perhaps the greatest celebration in David’s reign as king was when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. Even though David was prevented from building a temple to house the Ark, he made every preparation for that time. Not only did he procure building materials and furnishings, but he also considered how to best manage the utilize those ordained by God to serve, that is, the priests and Levites. Because David was a musician and songwriter himself, it is no surprise that the role music was to play in Israel’s worship was a priority for the king.

David chose three men: Heman, Asaph, and Ethan to oversee the worship music. They weren’t literal brothers but rather belonged to the same tribe. All three men are mentioned performing multiple duties and we have psalms written by each of them. Pulling together some snippets about these men from 1 Chronicles, it seems Heman served as the primary singer, the lead, the director even. Asaph seems to have been the primary songwriter. Ethan then, may have been the lead musician. Perhaps, the first worship band.

So how did Asaph and the others lead worship? What was their philosophy and can we learn anything from it?

Asaph’s worship was a daily activity (1 Chronicles 16:37). Somehow, I don’t think worship was just a vocation for him. I doubt David would have chosen him if it were. The Message says Asaph and the others were “responsible for the needs of worship around the clock.” That takes devotion both to God and to the congregation they served. They viewed worship as a calling, as a sacred trust, rather than a chore or obligation.

Asaph’s worship centered on God’s character, His words, and His actions (Psalm 50, 73-83). If we do a quick read of Asaph’s, several themes emerge. God’s holiness. Lots of holiness. His power and might. His dealings with men. His judgment of the wicked. But also His restoration of those who have sinned, and His intervention on behalf His people.

Asaph’s worship was inspired (1 Chronicles 25:1-7) These verses mention Asaph and the others prophesying and by Hezekiah’s time, he was called Asaph the seer. (2 Chronicles 29:30). From what we know of the New Testament gift of prophesying, it doesn’t necessarily mean to foretell the future. Even in the Old Testament, the prophets didn’t always make predictions. They did however always deliver God’s message, His unvarnished truth to the hearers. When we clearly understand God’s message to us, our natural response is worship.

Is worship a daily activity, a weekly routine or a special event for you? Is it, or should it be all three?
What role does music play in your personal worship? In the worship at your church?

Facing Monday Renewed

By Paula

Want renewed? Check this out.

Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:22

Therefore
Recall all that God has said and done in the past.

You are great
Reaffirm the meaning of great. Disconnect it from its watered-down common usage.

O Lord GOD
Reestablish that He is your Lord and your GOD by the covenant relationship established in Christ.

For there is none like You
Recommit to the One who is uniquely, singularly God.

Nor is there any God besides You
Renounce anything that competes for your loyalty

According to all that we have heard with our ears
Rehearse the times you have witnessed God’s greatness.

Amen

Now, go face your day, your week… renewed.

An Invitation to Worship

By Paula

Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 95:6

There is a series of invitations to worship in Psalm 95.

Come (v. 1) – Move from where we are, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Let us sing (v. 1) – Music stitches our ideas and emotions together in powerful heartfelt praise.

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation (v. 1) – Worship should carry exuberance and enthusiasm.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving (v. 2) – Worship comes from an attitude of thanksgiving rather than entitlement.

Let us shout joyfully (v. 2) – Joy focuses on our relationship with Him rather than our circumstances.

Let us worship and bow down (v. 6) – Humility is necessary for worship.

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker (v. 6) – Submission, bringing our will under His authority, demonstrates He is our Lord.

In contrast to the invitations, is a warning, an admonition.

Do not harden your heart.

Hardening our hearts is the opposite of worship. We stagnate. We wallow. We fixate. We demand.

Lord, give us soft hearts to worship You.

New Book: Build the Altar

By Paula

Last fall, I had an amazing opportunity to get together with some friends for a few days, away from the routine. It was such a good weekend, and over the course of those few days, we took some time to look at worship. We studied, discussed, questioned and commented and now all that has been collected and compiled, and it’s available in paperback and for Kindle.

Here’s a bit from the introduction:

We will look at three altars and the circumstances surrounding their building. We don’t build altars anymore because of the work of Christ. His sacrifice was sufficient. It’s no longer required. It’s true that blood is no longer required to atone for our sins, but we’ve lost touch with the significance of sacrifice in worship. A sacrifice allows us, forces us to confront the idols of our heart and abandon them.
The altars we’ll consider were built by ordinary men chosen by God to undertake great tasks. One prophet, one priest (of sorts) and one king. The altars were built in moments of thanksgiving, of confession and of affirmation. There is no wrong time to approach God.
Then we will look at two songs of praise. The songs are offered by two women, one from each testament. Praise is the moment the internal encounter can no longer be contained and spills out of us.
Several themes will emerge as you move through this book. While the sections have titles, the themes criss-cross and intertwine themselves across the chapter boundaries and throughout the unfolding revelation of Scripture. Confession. Cost. Obedience. Surrender. Watch for them. Allow yourself to be challenged by them.
Accept this invitation to draw near and consider the God we worship, consider His worthiness and consider how we respond to Him.
Seize this opportunity to take inventory of yourself, and to listen as God speaks. See worship as a gift rather than an obligation.
Understand as you go, God inhabits the worship of His people. You cannot encounter Jehovah and leave unchanged.
Build the altar.

Honestly, I’m not trying to sell you a book. But most of you reading this have been with me from the beginning, and I wanted to share some of what that weekend meant to me. If you pick up a copy and work your way through it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Maybe you’ll decide that you and three or four friends need to take your own weekend to talk and listen and share and learn. And worship.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Missing Peace

By Paula

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!” Luke 19:42

In the midst of celebration, of worship, one man wept.

Jesus shed tears because although the crowd praised Him and shouted His name, they didn’t understand who He was. They didn’t grasp what He offered them.

Many times, in the middle of celebration and worship, I’m sure I don’t get it either.

I look at the superficial instead of the spiritual.

I focus on the immediate rather than the eternal.

I’m consumed by self rather than my Savior.

And I miss the peace He offers, the peace that’s right in front of me.