“I need to worship,” declared our feisty six-year-old granddaughter. I suspect she has heard her parents say that. So much of the conversation in recent years has been about how best to worship. How do you worship? Is it with deep reverence, being still before the Lord? Or do you lift up your voice shouting and singing the goodness of God? The prior question to the “how to” of worship is the question of why. Why do we need to worship?
In one of the shortest chapters of the book, Isaiah looks forward to a day of worship. God’s anger has turned into comfort. He has kept his promise to save his people. So the prophet praises the Lord in the presence of the nations. The deeds of the Lord are glorious, his presence among us reveals his greatness.
My friend Andriy sent me a video of members of Grace Baptist Church in Rivne, Ukraine filling a room and worshiping God. I recognized the song, even though I could not translate the words. After four years of war, living without power in a cold winter, the people needed to worship God. They know the future belongs to God. So do we!
We worship God for his plan to save us. For his power and protection we praise him. In view of his perfect provision, let the whole word know of his deeds and his name. Best of all we praise God for his abiding presence among his people. Not only is God great, but the Holy One chooses to live among us, his people. This promise comes true in the incarnation and later at Pentecost. God, who can live anywhere chooses to live in us. In the Old Testament, the Lord had a temple for his people. In the New Testament he has a people for his temple. You and I are those people. So how could we ever think worship is optional? We need to worship him!
