JUL 25

Psalm 150
Memorise Psalm 117:1-2
"O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness"

So we know that we must worship God, and worship Him only in the right way. But before we go into the intricacies of how we ought to worship God, let us first answer the question, ‘what is the purpose of worship?’ After all, this is an important aspect of our lives. Every Sunday we go through the motion of coming to church, sitting through the worship service, and claim to be worshipping God. We understand that this is an important duty for every Christian. But what really constitutes true worship?

Throughout the Bible, God calls upon men everywhere to seek Him, to worship Him, and to glorify His name. This is the very purpose for which God made us and saved us – it is “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). Our very existence and life ought to be to worship God, and to bring honour to His name. This is the main purpose of worship. Sadly, many churches today have been derailed from this purpose of worship, and instead use it as a tool to attract more people, and to derive sensual pleasure. They have replaced traditional God-honouring hymns with rock bands and worldly music, seeking only to entertain the crowds.

Each Sunday, when we gather in church, we are not there to entertain ourselves, or to just get into the right mood to hear the sermon. Yes the hymns are beautiful and a joy to sing and they do prepare our hearts to receive God’s word. But those effects are beside the point. The main reason why we sing, why we read God’s Word, and why we tithe, is so that we can render all praise and glory to God.

As the Psalmist so poetically declared in Psalm 150, it is our duty and privilege to praise the Lord. With all our voice, all our ability, with all our breath we ought to praise Him. The more we learn of His power, of His mighty acts, of His excellent greatness, we cannot help but want to shout out and declare His majesty to the world. When we do so with the right heart, we bring glory to God. This is the reason why we are in church each week, and why we as Christians sing so much. Through singing unto the Lord, we praise Him for who He is and what He has done for us. In so doing, we show our gratitude for all that He has done for us, and declare our affections for Him.

Thought: Worship ought always and only to be for God and God alone.
Prayer: Lord, help me have the right purpose in my worship for You, that I desire only to praise and glorify Your name.