WORSHIP
I will speak of where my heart and mind are before I speak of what worship means to me. My life verse is
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Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
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For me, to KNOW that SURELY goodness and mercy will be part of my life every single day of my entire life is a matter of FAITH and of certainty. Beyond that, I GET TO DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.
Oh, glory, glory, glory, joyous expectation. I so look forward to being in the house of the Lord. And to think He will have us there with Him FOREVER.
FOREVER.
Many seasons of life have come and gone for me, some difficult and some wonderful. To see the wonderful seasons come to an end has been challenging. Fond memories. Grateful awareness of His provision always in all ways. But to know that the most wonderful season of all, dwelling in His house, will last forever. Sigh. I am edified by that thought.
Since without faith it is impossible to please God, part of worshipping Him is having faith in Him. Though Psalm 23:6 is a very simple verse, my faith is strengthened when I think about it, when I hold its dear truth close to my heart.
On Sunday morning, I go to church, and during the singing, I open my heart to the Lord, with love, and with trust. Whether I have had a "good" week or a "bad" week, this is HIS time. I am glad to be there, to be with His people, to stand in His presence, and to receive from Him, and to minister to Him. ' ... joining our voices, with angels and archangels and with all the company of Heaven, who forever sing this hymn, to proclaim the glory of Your Name, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory ...'. We worship Him as we sing, as we love one another, as we listen to the sermon, as we receive the Lord's Supper, as we give our tithes and offerings, as we pray, as we read the Bible. Worship is a heart attitude, as in oh, Lord, You are good, You are lovely, You are loving, You are beautiful, You are kind, You are majestic, You are strong, You are faithful, You are wise, You are compassionate, You are merciful, there is none like You dear Lord.
Music touches our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our spirits. I am freed to worship and inspired to worship by music, not just on Sunday morning, but all week long.
The words to songs cause my heart to soar in rapture toward the Lord, I have many favorite songs and hymns. The melodies, the harmonies, the lyrics cause me great joy and my heart responds with worship for the Lord. How can we listen to glorious music without worshipping Him?
Those on my email distribution list know I send round words to songs "just because". I get so happy by the words I just gotta share them.
Here's what I sent around 9/9/2001, two days before "The 9/11" --
Subject: O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus; text S.Francis, music Thos
Williams
To: xxx@altavista.com
From: xxx@altavista.com
Date: 9 Sep 2001 17:58:05 -0700
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
text Samuel T. Francis, music Thomas Williams
1. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as
a mighty ocean In it fullness over me, Underneath me, all around me, Is
the current
of Thy love; Leading onward, leading homeward To my glorious rest above.
2. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Spread His praise from shore to
shore! How He
loveth, ever loveth, Changeth never, nevermore; How He watches o'er His
loved ones,
Died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, Watcheth
o'er them from
the throne.
3. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Love of every love the best; 'Tis an
ocean vast
of blessing, 'Tis a haven sweet of rest, O the deep deep love of Jesus,
'Tis a heav'n
of heav'ns to me; And it lifts me up to glory, For it lifts me up to
Thee. Amen.
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Beautiful. Wonderful. Sweet. Thanks.
I love that song. You are so right about what constitutes worship. We do all of that in our church and the worship is becoming a really special time for me. I love to sing and sing 'new songs' unto the Lord during that time.
Here is a great song to praise and worship Almighty God with. When this is sung by a large group of belivers it resonates to the heavens and things happen:
Holy,Holy,Holy
by
Reginald Heber 1826
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!