Say I Love You

DAY AND NIGHT THE LIVING CREATURES NEVER STOP SINGING: "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, WHO IS, AND WHO IS TO COME. Revelation 4.8.

Our worship of the Almighty God on Sundays lasts only an hour or so. But these ‘living creatures’ worshipped God on the throne in heaven and the lamb in the midst of the throne day and night. Why do they worship God continuously? Is it necessary? Didn’t they get tired?”

Though we have only a one hour worship of God, once a week on Sundays, people keep asking, “Why should the worship services be so long? Why should we sing so many hymns and choruses? Why should the song leader repeat the words of a song so many times?

There are reasons why such questions are asked and why there is much criticism sometimes about worship. One is the inadequacy of the leaders, their failures, lack of giftedness and ingenuity in leading the worship in ‘hymns and songs and scripture recital’. It is not unusual for worship leaders to choose any and every kind of song to entertain the people, especially today's young. Sometimes they miss the mark and lose the importance of worship altogether in their enthusiasm and carry on with evangelistic choruses!

The other is the fault of the congregation - lack of preparation for worship and non-committal in joining whole-heartedly in the spirit of worship. When people come to worship late and sometimes so late that the worship time is all over, what do you think of their fervour towards the Almighty God who is our heavenly Father who condescends to come to our midst! What do you make of the believers commitment when they fiddle with their handphones or keep chatting to their friends and family!

Many of us lack the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the character and nature of the Almighty God enthroned in heaven above. It is so that we do not see the God whom we worship but there is little reason for us not to have a good knowledge of Him for we have the Scriptures that tell us about Him. This is a serious obstacle to true and enjoyable worship.

I was reading in a secular magazine a write-up about a young couple. The interviewer followed them a whole day to know more about them to write his article. One thing that struck him most about them and hence he highlighted it, “the bridegroom was calling the bride every now and then by such names as, ‘gorgeous, princess, honey, darling etc. etc.’” Why did he do that? He was worshipping his beautiful young bride! Did he get tired of it? No! Never! Did he stop that day when the reporter left? No! As long as they were together in love, he worshipped her and showered her with ‘flattering words!’

Dear believer, if you love God so much as that young couple, you too won’t stop worshipping Him! Any time would be worship time and all the time we would be adoring Him whom we love! I believe one of the good reasons why the book of the Songs of Solomon was included in the Bible was that it reveals to us human love and passion with which we are all too familiar. It beckons us to use our emotions and not just mere intellectual knowledge to worship God. How Christians today need to use a little more of their heart and emotions to tell God, “I love You!”

Pray and practise with me: Dearest Lord Jesus, I love You! I love You with all of my heart and soul and mind and strength. Help me to worship You all the time and in everything. Amen.