I was made to love You, it’s all I really know for sure
All I am is wrapped up in You, the center of my world
And I was made to love You, from my beginning to my end
And You’ll be my forever, my forever amen– Steffany Gretzinger, Forever Amen
Worship is part of who we were each created to be. It is woven throughout our lives. Worship is your song, but it is also significantly more than a song. The amount of wonder revealed through worship depends on our posture, our hearts, and, ultimately, God and His desire for us.
You can find Worship on the very first page in Genesis all the way to the last of Revelation. Just as it is woven in our lives, it is also woven throughout Scripture. We see it in the context of creation, the life of Jesus, within seasons, songs, and in the lives of those who love God.
There are different kinds of worship. Worship that is set apart allows us to focus in and enjoy His presence. Worship shown in our daily lives—based on how we live—points to God. Both are important, and one usually fuels the other.
Identity in Worship
As He has given each of us identity with different abilities, desires, and personalities, our praise to God can look different. When you look at the 7 Hebrew words for praise found in Scripture, you’ll see yâdâh, hâlal, zâmar, tôwdâh, bârak, tehillâh, and shâbach. If you’ve not looked these up before, I encourage you to!
The 7 Hebrew words for praise tell us that our worship doesn’t always have to be the same, nor should it be.
What a Wonder He Is
Come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.—Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)
In my life, the one constant is God and His goodness. Even when I didn’t see it, didn’t acknowledge Him, and maybe even ran from Him, He was good to me—faithful is the best way to describe it.
I think that alone inspires wonder in me.
Psalm 95 talks about us praising God. It depicts Him as the King above all kings, the Creator of the world, and our Shepherd. To think that the Creator of all things loves me enough to be faithful to me when I am anything but faithful to Him … that inspires wonder in me. To think that the King of all kings loves me enough to give me a seat at the table … that inspires wonder in me.
To think that He fully knows me, fully loves me, and chooses to lead me … that inspires wonder in me.
Because of His devotion, I get to be devoted back.
I get to worship.
I Get To (Keyword: Get)
When my worship is self-centered (which unfortunately happens), I notice I never get to where I think I’m headed. I don’t love well, I don’t see well, and I definitely don’t reflect God well. It’s typically selfish and ugly and worthless.
But when I focus where I’m meant to, I remember that I only love because God first loved me or that I am gracious only because God is gracious to me. When I remember that I am only full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control because of the Holy Spirit at work in me, my worship looks a lot different. And the fruit of my worship is different. It’s wonder-filled at its core.
When we realize that in all of our mess, in all of who we are, that God desires us, we realize how amazing it is that we get to worship and love Him back. So often we look for that love in other people, in creative outlets, or in things—but we never find it there.
Because no one can love me with unrelenting love outside of the One who created me. No one or no thing will ever desire me that much—only God will.
It really is full of wonder.
So, when I raise my hands on Sunday, or lead the congregation in song, or love my kids through the heart of the Father, or do my everyday work as if for Him, I get to reflect and shine a really big light on His great love. And that is wonder-filled worship.
Wonder-filled Worship
May we never lose sight of that. That because He knows me, loves me, and leads me, I get to be part of His Story.
I get to shine a big light that points to Him so that others may know the freedom and love and goodness that He has for them. So that others can be covered in the cloak of grace from Jesus Christ Himself. So that when you see me, you see Him—because He has covered me and filled me with His fullness.
There’s literally nothing better.
So, may we worship in wonder. In wonder at the God who placed the stars in the sky and who calls us each by name.
May your worship, and mine, lift His name higher and higher so that the rocks will never have to cry out in our place. May we join with all creation, and all of heaven, pointing to the King of kings who is near—who is God Immanuel.
Friends, I pray that wonder would fill your hearts today. And that you would know fully that “[n]o power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NLT)
We were made to love Him. That’s our purpose. Let’s live in this wonder-filled worship. And let’s shout it from one generation to the next.