There is something that is very, very important to understand about the nature of human beings, the way they function, why they do the things they do, the nature of human life, the things that shape our choices, decisions, actions, relationships. And so, this thing is, it's important to understand, the most basic and essential function of a human being is worship. Everybody, even the most irreligious person, worships. As a human being, worship is first our identity before it's ever our activity.
We were designed, hardwired, created by God, to be worshipers. You could actually argue that the only thing that divides human beings is what, or who, we worship--worship meaning that there is always something that lays claim to our hearts that motivates us and directs us. We're always living for something. As that great theologian, Bob Dylan, once said, "You gotta serve somebody." Very, very true!
For the Christian, life is shaped by the worship of God. So, it's important to ask, "What does the worship of God look like?" And that's why Psalm 101 is in the Bible; it's about the true worship of God. Let me read:
I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
What Psalm 101 does is it gives us two significant aspects of the worship of God. First, there's vertical worship, captured by these words, "I will sing of the steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music." This is what we normally think of worship. It is the formal, conscious turning of our hearts toward God in awe, adoration, and praise. And this is something we should do, not just once a week when we gather together for worship, but it's something we should do every day--that vertical, intentional, conscious worship of God.
But that's not all that worship is, and this is how this Psalm is very helpful. There's a second vital form of worship: not just vertical worship, but horizontal worship. What do I mean by that? This is where, as an act of worship, we surrender everything in our lives, and everything we do and say, to our Lord. Here we seek to live in a way that pleases him.
Notice these words, "I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless."
So, you have this conscious turn of your heart to praise and adoration of God and this commitment to worship him in your life, in everything you do and say, in all of your relationships.
Now, here's the convicting thing about this Psalm. It is quite possible to worship God on Sunday and between Sundays have a life that is shaped by the worship of something else. And for this, we need to cry out for the grace of Jesus.
May our worship not just be that formal, vertical worship, but may it rearrange, reform, restore everything in our lives so everything we do, everything we say, every decision, every action is a hymn of worship to our Lord.
And for that, we need the rescuing, transforming grace of Jesus!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Pause and take an honest look at your life--your day-to-day schedule, what your calendar is structured around, what you spend your time and money on, who you choose to spend time with on a regular basis, etc. After this close examination, who or what would you say you worship? What do the details of your life reveal about your worship habits? Would you say that this "life audit" has revealed areas that you need to change, modify, or even radically alter? How can you be more intentional about aiming your worship at God instead of the other things in your life?
2. What does your personal worship of God look like? What would you say your family's worship of God looks like? How is your church's Sunday morning worship structured in a way that magnifies who God is and how can your heart personally respond to that each week? What personal changes can you make in order to more routinely and sincerely worship God?
3. What horizontal variables in your life act as opportunities for you to worship the Lord? What parts of your life are you proactively surrendering to him? How are you seeking to live and please him with your daily schedule? What areas of your life are you routinely coming up short when it comes to worshiping God? What intentional changes can you make right now that would begin the process of worshiping God as an intentional act of surrender?
4. Take a moment now and admit that there are areas of your life where you don't measure up and need to turn over to God? Admit your need for him to help you change. God is worshiped in your admission of need for him to help you, so begin your act of worship by going to him and asking for him to work powerfully in your life. Then thank him for all that he has done for you and thank him for all that he will do in your life.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• What do you think it means to worship something or someone? Why do you think God asks us to worship him only? Why is it so important to worship God? Why is it so dangerous to worship anyone or anything other than God?
• How are the things we do here in our lives acts of worship? How can we both be more purposeful in worshiping God through the things we say and do today?
For Older Children:
• What would you say you think about most often? Talk about? Obsess about? How might all of those things be acts of "worship"?
• When you think about the word "worship," what comes to mind? Why do you think worship is already part of your daily life and routine and how can we purposefully direct that worship to God instead of other people or other things? Can we keep each other accountable for directing our worship to God instead of other places?
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