Worship Devotional

As we started our month-long emphasis on worship last Sunday, I began my day today with the worship devotional in the devo books our church handed out on Sunday. The devotional pointed me to Psalm and as I read it this really jumped out at me:

Verses 11 and 12 tell us that the earth, the heavens and everything in them will praise God and sing songs to him. I think that’s fairly elementary. But why will they sing on this occasion? What is uniquely happening here that causes this praise?

Verse 13 holds the answer: “They will sing before the Lord for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.” Not at all what we would expect nor what the modern reader is necessarily looking for, so I think its somewhat surprising to us. It was to me- not where I thought this Psalm was going.

Don’t get me wrong. I think I’m a good worshiper. I enjoy singing, especially songs to and about the Lord and his works. I am that fool that sits too long at a stop light or doesn’t hear the ambulance coming because I’m wrapped up in some worship song and I’m having a moment with the Lord while I’m driving.

I love to worship with God’s people. I’ve had some amazing life change moments in corporate worship and I’ve seen the manifest presence of the Lord with other believers.

But…I’m not sure how much I’ve sung songs to the Lord because of his judgement. I’ve been afraid of that day, I’ve misunderstood what that day is about, and sometimes tried to ignore it. But I’m pretty sure I haven’t praised God much for the judgement that is coming.

So- a challenge for me in my quiet time this AM! God has been impressing on me today that his judgements are righteous, which means that they are right and moral. I praise God because he will judge rightly, and he will bring morality into my ever failing, immoral world. He will judge me rightly and bring morality to my immorality. Praise him that his judgement is coming and I am not left in my hopelessness!

His judgements are true. He is coming to bring truth to my falseness and to the world I live in that presents lies as truth. I will worship him as his judgement is coming and that means that his truth- all truth- will be clearly seen and all falsehood that keeps me from worshiping him fully will be removed.

So, today, I don’t sin more in anticipation of God setting all things right. I don’t live in fear of a judgmental God coming to punish me without redeeming me. I will gladly anticipate the day of his arrival and praise him for his gracious, righteous, truthful judgements.

See you as we worship this great God on Sunday!

Pastor Joe