Wonder and Worship

‘Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool...’ Psalm 99:5 NKJV

Never lose your sense of wonder, or you’ll lose your motivation for worship. Unless you believe God is all-powerful, ever-present and approachable, you’ll live in a state of anxiety believing that everything depends on you. You’ll shrink from sharing your faith in case you’re ridiculed or can’t find the right words. You’ll fail to be generous because the source of your security is in yourself. You’ll avoid confronting those who need it, because without the certainty of God’s acceptance you become a slave to people’s opinions. We live in a cynical age that discourages wonder. We’ve diminished the marvel and awe, yet deep down we still ache for it. When you shrink your concept of God to fit your own rationale, you pray without faith, work without passion, serve without joy, and suffer without hope. And the result is fear, retreat and loss of vision. But there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to restore your understanding of how big and wonderful God is-worship. God created us so that when we experience something awe-inspiring we need to praise it, to wrap words around it. We don’t worship God because He needs it, but because we do. Without worship our perception of Him is incomplete; we forget how great He is; we overlook our calling and become self-involved. We lose our sense of wonder and gratitude by plodding through life with blinkers on, and we become self-reliant, stubborn and proud. So, each day let us pause and say with the Psalmist, ‘Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool…’ (Psalm 99:5 NKJV)