A.W. Tozer said “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God!”
Worshipping God is not just important, it should be our preoccupation. Yet instead of this preoccupation we so often carry our fears, agendas and other trappings of life as a focus with us to the places we go and the people we meet. We can even carry this focus to church on Sunday. As human beings it seems that we worry about everything.
So often we can find ourselves dwelling on our fears, agendas and the stress that surrounds the business of life. There is however, a huge shift available to us that comes as we engage in worship, confess our fears and ask God to remove them, ask the God who loves us to fills us with confidence and faith. It is then as we come into concious contact with God, our creator that we are filled with a holy fear and reverence. God’s response to us is with the gift of life without fear. In Psalm 34 David recognises the great gift he had received in the privilege of fearing God.
On Sunday I shared a picture God gave me of a rocket ship that was taking off into orbit. The rocket takes off in stages, separating and shedding portions of the ship at each stage. I was drawn to thoughts of 1 Corinthians 14 where we are encouraged to sing (worship) with our Spirit but also our mind, and how God wants all of us, heart, soul, strength, and mind set on pushing into the Praise of him, leaving behind those things that hold us back and going on up to the next level in the persuit of him.
So often our fears and concerns and indeed just trying to live everyday life can cause us to want to flee and hide in a cave like David, these things can hold us back from the pursuit of God. In this Psalm David had lost all that was secure to Him on this earth, except God. If you really think about it he had really lost nothing at all!
God was with him in the cave there in the dark and David as he began to speak the words of this Psalm. Why don’t you repeat the words below 2-3 times and then just let it work on your spirit but also your mind:
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
These are incredible words, coming from a man who was fleeing and sitting in the dark.
I challenge you today to lift up His name, right there in the middle of whatever is going on and see what God does, see where he takes you. God is with us but more than that he wants us to shed off the things that bind us in order to propel us on up to higher places for the Praise of his name.
Worshipping God is not just important, it should be our preoccupation. Yet instead of this preoccupation we so often carry our fears, agendas and other trappings of life as a focus with us to the places we go and the people we meet. We can even carry this focus to church on Sunday. As human beings it seems that we worry about everything.
So often we can find ourselves dwelling on our fears, agendas and the stress that surrounds the business of life. There is however, a huge shift available to us that comes as we engage in worship, confess our fears and ask God to remove them, ask the God who loves us to fills us with confidence and faith. It is then as we come into concious contact with God, our creator that we are filled with a holy fear and reverence. God’s response to us is with the gift of life without fear. In Psalm 34 David recognises the great gift he had received in the privilege of fearing God.
So often our fears and concerns and indeed just trying to live everyday life can cause us to want to flee and hide in a cave like David, these things can hold us back from the pursuit of God. In this Psalm David had lost all that was secure to Him on this earth, except God. If you really think about it he had really lost nothing at all!
God was with him in the cave there in the dark and David as he began to speak the words of this Psalm. Why don’t you repeat the words below 2-3 times and then just let it work on your spirit but also your mind:
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
These are incredible words, coming from a man who was fleeing and sitting in the dark.
I challenge you today to lift up His name, right there in the middle of whatever is going on and see what God does, see where he takes you. God is with us but more than that he wants us to shed off the things that bind us in order to propel us on up to higher places for the Praise of his name.
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