God deserves our praise. I am not speaking of praise only for those times in life where something great happens. Yes, God deserves praise then – but God deserves our praise consistently. Genuinely. With a transparent heart.
We were created to worship Him, and we were instructed to worship Him in two ways: Through adoration – we praise God for who He is, and through thanksgiving – we praise God for what He has done. It seems to me that while we always have blessings in our lives that we can praise God for (the good in our lives), we can at times struggle to give thanksgiving because our focus is on what we lack.
Who is God to you? Who do you know Him to be through stories you have read or heard about Him? Who do you know Him to be in your own life?
I think of God in so many ways based on the overwhelming amount of times I have directly known God’s hand to be involved in my life.
He is the Creator – who formed two little girls inside of me – both answers to prayer.
He is my Provider – who meets my needs time and time again – emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually.
He is my Comforter – my God has held me close when I have experienced times of great grief and loss.
He is my Encourager – God gives me through His word regular reminders of who I am, who He is, and refuels my hope.
He is my Redeemer – I was broken in my shame and remorse over my choices of sin, and God picked me up, cleaned me off, and returned me to a life of blessing.
He is my Protector – God has repeatedly saved me from that which could have harmed me or even cut my life short. He fights for me. He places protection around me.
He is Healer – The LORD has brought healing into my family from heart defects to cancer. He heals me from sickness, and physical pain, but the LORD also heals me from emotional pain through the healing of my heart.
He is my Savior. He is my Hope. God is my Father. He is my LORD. God is my Rock. He is my Guide. He is the Light of the World.
God deserves my praise.
How do I praise Him? How do I worship Him? How can I give back to God even a piece of the gifts that He has given to me?
I worship Him with a transparent heart. I sing songs of praise and adoration to my God. I give honor to Him through my words spoken to Him and about Him. I proclaim or share what God has done for me, and continues to do. I make time for Him. I obey Him. I confess to Him the times that I fail or sin against Him. I prepare my heart to meet with Him. I write about Him. I serve Him. I worship Him through the tithes and offerings that I give to Him. I spend time with Him.
Worship isn’t coming to church. It isn’t singing a song and lifting a hand. It’s a state of the heart. It’s being moved by the incredible privilege to be accepted into the presence of holiness while knowing that I am only able to do so because of the sacrifice of Jesus. It is the overwhelming, overflowing, praise and adoration given back to the One who is Faithful and Good. To the One who sees and knows – and whose love is unending.
God deserves our worship.
How are we doing? Is worshiping God a priority? A habit? Is my worship of God transparent and sincere? Or is my worship little more than a visit to church and a box to tick off on my To-Do list?
God deserves more. He deserves our best. He deserves adoration and thanksgiving.
God deserves our worship.
I want to be like David, whose adoration of God reveals the state of his heart for Him. “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I go and stand before Him?” (Psalm 42:1-2) I want to love God so deeply that I long to be in His presence. I cannot bear to be separated from Him. I want God to develop within me a thirst so strong that only God can meet.
“But every day the LORD pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.” (Psalm 42:8) I want to see – to recognize – God’s hand upon me every day. And as I see I want to continue throughout my day and into the night to connect with Him and praise His name.
“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God – the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp. O God, my God!” (Psalm 43:3-4) My desire is for God’s hand to reign in my life. I want Him to guide my path and I want to be obedient to follow Him. I know that God plans to lead me to His altar so that I can be near Him, praising Him. God desires to be the source of all my joy – because He is the source of it!
God deserves our worship. Genuine worship. Wholehearted worship for a Holy and Mighty God.
Blessings!