Teach Me How To Worship

THEY OFFERED GREAT SACRIFICES THAT DAY AND REJOICED, FOR GOD HAD MADE THEM REJOICE WITH GREAT JOY. Nehemiah 12.43.

An e-mail is before me, written by a sister who is asking my comment on the situation she is facing in a church where she is forced by circumstance to worship presently. She obviously comes from a ‘traditionally quiet church’ and is now caught up in a ‘lively charismatic church’.

There has always been much contention among the Christians with regard to the pattern of worship of our God Almighty in our churches. The old timers, especially in the ‘mainline churches’ who follow the age-old liturgical pattern, are for continuing in solemnity and sobriety. They detest noise and any kind of physical activity in worship. They won’t trade the old sacred hymns from ‘Songs and Solos’ or ‘Church Hymnals’ for today’s choruses. In their support they have many a Scripture as in Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psa 46.10,11).

Against this scenario, we have an up and coming younger generation that has found a new freedom of the Holy Spirit in worship. It has broken the tradition and followed a more active style of worship of God. They trace it to the pattern they see in the Old Testament. Here in Nehemiah we have such a manner of worship. Nehemiah and his colleagues found precedence in the pattern of worship ordered by king David and others!

The other day I was contemplating on Psalm 47, “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (Psa 47. 1-6).

It is interesting that both the psalms were written by the sons of Asaph. More interesting is that while at the end of Psalm 46 they ask everyone “To be still and know that the Lord is God”, Psalm 47 begins with, “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!”

Dear believer, God is teaching us different ways to worship Him from these precepts and examples in the Scripture. There are times you may be still and silent before your God in worship. There other times when God Himself causes His people to rejoice so much that none can remain silent or still. Such rejoicing will be so Spirit-led that no one can stop shouting or singing or crying out to God in true worship! But whether silent or boisterous, reverence and fear of the Lord God Almighty who sits enthroned in heaven and worshipped by the angelic hosts should never be lost.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, teach me how to worship You in spirit and in truth no matter whether it is loud or silent, for the Father accepts only such worshippers. Amen.