Why are we, the people of God, to worship the LORD?
Psalm 100:3,5 tell us why.
Verse 3 commands us to know that the LORD (this is the Hebrew word Yahweh or Jehovah which means the eternal, self-existent One who was, is, and will always be), He and He alone is God, Elohim, creator God and covenant keeper. When we know Who He is, we will have no problem bowing down and worshiping Him!
We are to worship God because of who He is and what He has done. His nature and works make it clear that He and He alone should be worshiped. God does not force us to worship Him; He
invites us to worship Him, and if we know Him, He commands us to worship. It is our great joy, duty, and delight.
Psalm 139:13-14 states,
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."
Scripture teaches us that God fashioned us in our mother's womb. He is the One who brought us into existence. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are not the result of mass mutation and natural selection, highly evolved beings with no purpose or future. We did not make ourselves. There is no truth in the phrase that we are self-made. We did not create ourselves initially and we do not create who we become. God gives general or common grace to all and allows us to have all that we possess. This verse reminds me of a t-shirt I saw years ago; it read on the front side, "There is a God." And on the back of the shirt, it read, "And you are not Him."
In
verse 3, King David instructs us that we are God's people and the sheep of His pasture. The secular, humanistic mind will reject such a doctrine and give a hearty rebuttal to any idea that we belong to God. The reason is that if God made us and is over us, then we will have to obey Him. So instead of embracing such a belief, it is rejected for a more atheistic, evolutionary, and humanistic worldview that is always accompanied with a hedonistic lifestyle. But there is such peace when you recognize God, embrace Him, and serve Him. He is the Good Shepherd, and He loves His sheep. Jesus Christ is our shepherd and
John 10:11 says,
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
Verse 5 gives us more reasons why we should all worship God. God's
mercy (
checed, kindness and faithfulness) lasts forever. It is His nature to grant mercy, and He does so to all who believe in Him and call upon Him. He will not give us what we deserve but will grant us mercy and kindness if we only say we are sorry and repent. God tells the
truth, and He cannot lie. Whenever God speaks, it is the truth. Contrast that with the devil: whenever he speaks, he speaks lies (
John 8:44).
All of us will worship someone or something. God has created us with a vacuum, a hole that can only be truly fulfilled and satisfied by Himself. We try in vain to fill that gap in our soul with misguided worship. We worship ourselves, our pleasures, and many worship a host of false gods. You can know what you worship by the way you live your life. What dominates your time, what is it that you are most passionate about? It could be a hobby, a job, or another person. All gods make terrible gods except Jesus. All masters are cruel except for the Creator Himself, the LORD God Almighty.
Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving weekend. If you have a prayer request, please send it to
pray@dfea.com, and we will gladly pray for you.
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