I have a pattern in the weight room. My favorite exercises are the ones that come most naturally to me. Since the lady who just got off the shoulder press did more weight than I can lift, I prefer to just stay away from that machine. My pride, the extra work it takes, and the pain afterwards keep me from focusing on the areas I need most.
This is a common trend when practicing sports as well. Whether it’s golf or dribbling a basketball, when people are watching, we tend to "display" our best shots in both. Even when we DO find the courage to focus on our weakness, rarely do we do so as much as we play to our strengths. And the gap widens.
It’s the same in our faith journey. Each of us has strengths we lean towards. We may have some habits that are good. We may have things we like to do that are good. And there are other things, good things, even biblical things, that don’t come natural to us that we tend to avoid. Sometimes it’s because we don’t like it. Sometimes it’s because we feel we don’t do it well. Sometimes it’s because of pride. Sometimes it’s because of selfishness.
Serving where we benefit nothing is one of those things. And I’m reminded today through Psalm 57, that true and deep worship is another.
Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
(Psalm 57:8-11)
David worshipped his guts out. He recognized that it took a deliberate “awakening” of his soul to do so. From other Psalms, we know that it came from his great appreciation for and trust in God.
Yet the majority of us look literally bored during worship. Why is that? Since God is worthy of our praise, what’s wrong with this picture? And I just don’t buy the, “that’s just how I worship” thing. Take a moment to think about how we act at a sporting event when our favorite team scores a touchdown or makes a game winning basket… reckless abandon sound familiar? Honestly, that’s a glimpse of how capable we are of worship.
As I think back to when worship scared me, I see a combination of three things: (1) fear, (2) pride, and (3) lack of focus on the one I’m worshipping.
My answer to those three things today are (1) who cares, (2) who cares, and (3) He deserves better.
I don’t say these things to beat up those who don’t worship (and I certainly don’t expect a show from those who don’t know Christ). There are still moments that I’m distracted more than I should be. But I’m done making excuses myself. I’m going to worship with all I’ve got. God deserves better. Scripture tells us that, God inhabits the praises of His people. The gift of God is His presence through His Spirit.
Listen, we NEED the Spirit. The Spirit is our counselor and guide. The Spirit allows us to understand truth. The Spirit walks with us and leads us. If this alone was the benefit of worship, it would be worth it.
I was thinking about the phrase that, “God inhabits the praises of His people” and did a google search this morning. It pulled up a BLOG written in 2007 by a guy who (Believe it or not) lives 5 miles from my house. In it, he was struggling with the etymology of this passage of scripture (Psalm 22:3) since some versions don’t use the word “inhabits”. As he was struggling with whether or not God really did “inhabit” our praise, he wrote:
“Later in the day I went on a rather ambitious bike ride. Early in the ride I was mulling over the idea that God inhabits the praises of his people. I was considering the evidence: not actually a scripture quote, but supported by the whole tenor of scripture and by experience, and even by reason. But somehow that didn't quite satisfy me. Then, out of the blue, God spoke. Clear as day, and quite clearly not from my own thoughts, he said, "Praise me and see if I show up." I laughed out loud. Two reasons: first, the absurdity of making something as personal as God's presence in response to praise into a theoretical exercise which "merits further study." And second, the warmth of God's presence as I immediately began to praise him.
"Praise me and see if I show up." Great line, God! Thanks for helping me see you more clearly and personally. You are beautiful beyond description, absolutely matchless, and supreme over the universe. I love you.”
Great words.
Here’s the deal. It doesn’t matter what some transliterations say about this scripture (By the way, the Hebrew word used does literally mean “inhabits” or “dwell”). God simply shows up when we worship Him. That’s the truth. So let’s take a lead from David. Let’s worship our guts out.
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