Time Out for Worship

A psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Today, in almost every country, millions of people will come together in chapels and in churches, indoors and outdoors, to worship God. Others, not able to join in, will worship God by way of radio or television or Internet. For Christians, Sunday is a day to worship.

Sadly, not everyone feels the need to worship. A Christian college student told me that public worship was a waste of time. “Christians,” she said, “should be out there doing something worthwhile instead of sitting in church.” When I asked someone why he had not been in church for the past 18 years, he simply said, “There’s nothing there for me.”

So why worship? Psalm 100 gives the answer. Worship is our imperfect way of acknowledging who God is. It is our way of saying thank-you to God for all he has done for us through Jesus Christ. Worship is intended to give God his due.

And when we worship, we “worship the LORD with gladness,” with hearts filled with joy and gratitude. Psalm 100 gives us several reasons: God made us; we belong to him. The Lord is good; his love endures forever. God’s faithfulness continues through all generations.

Make sure you worship this God today and every day!

Lord, thank you for the freedom to worship you publicly. Bless those who do not have this freedom or who are not able to join with others. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.