Worship
What is real worship?
I believe that it can be described as the wonder we feel before the beauty, splendour, majesty, power, holiness, and boundless love of God. The man who cannot feel wonder is incapable of worshiping. Worship will be but a vain and idle ritual to him who is not moved to wonder by everyday common things. Are you filled with a sense of gratitude when you watch a vermillion sunset? Do your eyes open wide at the sight of a lark winging it way toward a fleecy white cloud? Does the morning dew thrill you? Are you moved by the regular coming of night and day? If you do not habitually feel wonder in the face of the world and its splendours, chances are you will never fall on your knees and send up to God a song of praise.
The instinct of worship is inbred in man. Even uncivilized tribes worship, and this can be a dangerous point, for if we do not worship God, then a vacuum is created in our lives, and this vacuum will somehow be filled – by a Hitler or by some tyrannical idea. Man was created for worship on the most exalted plane, and any perversion or degradation of that worship can only result in a deplorable state of existence. There is no substitute for worshiping God. How could there be? It would not be logical to raise our voice in thanksgiving and adoration to someone who had nothing to do with the endless procession of gifts that are ours to cherish.
Whenever God’s goodness overwhelms us, and whenever the wonder of His works silences our shattered hopes and worries, then we are close to worship. In wonder, all our knowledge begins, and in wonder all our knowledge ends. The first wonder springs from ignorance, but the last flows form admiration, adoration, and praise for the bountiful blessings and the undeserved goodness God gives each of us day by day.
One of my village pastors, Ramasamy, says he wishes that all churchgoers could stand in the pulpit on a Sabbath day morning and watch the faces in the congregation during the sermon.
Although most people seem to give the minister their attention, many have their minds elsewhere.
To receive the greatest benefit from a church service, we must prepare our hearts and become active participants. We must become wholeheartedly involved in singing the hymns, silently praying as the pastor leads the congregation in prayer, and worshiping from the heart as the choir sings.
Finally, we need to discipline ourselves to listen intently with a receptive heart to the teaching of God’s word. We must develop a hunger for truth that quiets our spirits, inspires worship, evokes praise to God, and moves us to serve Him.
It is very easy to blame the pastor if we leave the service feeling empty and discouraged, but he is just one participant; we must do our part. Those who get the most out of worship are those who put the most into it. The true heart of worship is worship from the heart. This will make our church a powerhouse in the future. To acknowledge this and thank God for it?that is real worship!
Xavior Chelliah