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The Heart of Worship

When discussing worship, I am first reminded of the scripture in Rev. 19: 9-10 where John says the following: "Then (the angel) said to me, write this down: Blessed are those who are summoned to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me (further), these are the true words of God. Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship but he said, Refrain! (You must not do that!) I am another servant with you and your brethren who have the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God!"

It is this imperative sentence by the angel that grips me:" Worship God!" Further study from I Chronicles 16 establishes the fact that David demonstrated for us the necessity, joy and love of worship. It says in verse 1 that they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

It goes on to say that David appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord and to celebrate, thanking and praising the Lord, the God of Israel. Throughout this entire chapter the Lord is celebrated. Verses 23 -24 encourage us with the words, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day His salvation. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples." In verse 29 He says to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and in holy array.

Heaven is and has always been a throne room of worship night and day. The heavenly throne room as described in Revelation 4 is probably best interpreted as the heavenly symphony room of God. John describes this "beauty room " as the vision of the throne unfolds to him personally:

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the First voice which I had heard addressing me like a war trumpet said, come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future. At once I came under the Spirit's power, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne. And He Who sat there appeared like jasper and sardius, and encircling the throne there was a halo that looked like emerald.
Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the throne and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders arrayed in white clothing, with crowns of gold upon their heads. Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne seven blazing torches burned, which are the seven Spirits of God. And in front of the Throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea, as if of crystal. And around the throne, were four living creatures who were full of eyes in front and behind.

As we look further on in the chapter, we see that the twenty-four living creatures cry day and night and never stop saying, " Holy , holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty , Who was and Who is and Who is to come" (verse 8).

It also states in verse 10 that the twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him and cry out with the twenty-four creatures day and night, "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were (brought into being) and were created."
So why do we worship? First of all, we worship because He is worthy of our praise. We worship because God created us to worship and to fellowship with Him. He desires to have communion with us as it brings Him glory. We praise Him because He sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world so that we through Him might have eternal life.

Secondly, worship produces an atmosphere for the presence of God to manifest and in that manifestation He satisfies the longing of our heart. Worship is the cry of all eternity's heart. It is the longing from within every created being to give glory and honor to the One on the Throne. It is during this atmosphere of praise and worship that He delights to reach down and touch the hearts of His children through words of encouragement, hope and healing. It is here that the hungry heart is satisfied and the tired body refreshed. It is here that miracles, signs and wonders are released and in worship, the battles we face everyday are won.

Ps. 150 states, "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power...Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord."

In closing, let the words of the angel in Rev. 19 resound though out all eternity, "Worship God!"

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