The Blessing Of Worship
“My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever.”
Psalm 145:21 (NIV)
Many of us confuse blessing and worship.
A blessing is not something you do; it is something you receive.
Worship is what you do, and the blessing of the Almighty follows the act of true worship.
Have you ever walked out of a church or a Bible study grumbling “I sure didn’t get much of a blessing out of that service”?
The fact is you didn’t get much out of it because you didn’t put much into it.
Worship is the response of the believer to the majesty and greatness of the living, true God.
The old English word for worship means “Worthship.”
In other words, worship is our response to God.
It is something which you do, something which you give to God and the blessing of God which touches our lives is the result of having been in His presence.
When we were living overseas my family would occasionally be in a service conducted in a language we didn’t understand, and we would grumble “It’s boring not being able to understand a thing that is going on.”
God began to stress that you don’t have to understand the language to be blessed by worship.
You can think about the greatness and majesty of God, of His character and goodness.
You can even hum the songs along with those who may be singing in Chinese or Russian or Filipino and still be part of the family of God at worship.
The word blessing is not an easy word to define in English.
The Greek word, which the New Testament uses, is sometimes translated “Happy,” but it is far more than a feeling of light frivolity.
It bears the idea of well being, of having received something of the nature and expression of the Almighty.
It is the warmth which comes as the result of a father’s smile, the sense of well-being which a mother generates as she holds her infant in her arms.
In relationship to God His blessing is the result of His goodness and mercy to us.
It is the warmth of His presence when we have recognized His true greatness and respond to it.
But be quite certain. Worship comes first; then His blessing follows.
Prayer
Father, forgive me for complaining about worship.
Next time I’m going to focus on giving rather than getting.
You deserve to be worshipped, and I will honour You in doing so.
In Jesus Name.
Amen
Study by Fraser MurdochÂ