"So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory" (Psalm 63:2).
“O worship the King, all-glorious above; O gratefully sing, His power and His love; our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days; pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.” This verse of the famous hymn O Worship the King reflects the attitude all God’s people should have as they gather together in worship. We should fill our thoughts with the Lord who reigns in holiness and truth. Our affections should be inflamed with a love for Christ who has redeemed us. When we approach God’s throne, we should extol His power and love as we praise Him with thanksgiving.
Such was David’s attitude when he worshiped God in the splendor of His holiness. Psalm 63 gives us insight into how David reveled in the joy and delight of worship. He had been separated from public worship, and as a way to lift his spirits he remembered the joy of approaching God with His people. David realized how greatly he benefited from giving God the glory in worship and singing praises in the assembly. The delight of worshiping God was so impressed upon his soul that he tasted its fruit even when far removed from the gathering of God’s people.
Most of us today are not faced with David’s dilemma of being separated by outside forces from public worship. However, we still should allow the memory of worship to be so impressed upon us that it lifts our souls even in the darkest, loneliest hours. The benefits of worship come not only from singing, preaching, and praying, but from the sacraments as well. Calvin commented that the great truth of our spiritual regeneration represented in baptism should remain fixed in our minds through our whole life. The mystical union between Christ and His members should be a matter of reflection, not only during the Lord’s Supper, but at all other times as well. Let us never cease to be occupied with the contemplation of God through worship, whether we be among God’s people or alone on our knees in prayer. To do this, we must first experience the delight of worship. Only when we focus solely on the Lord, casting our cares on Him, confessing His truth, and bringing our lives under His authority, can we truly bring glory to Him and drink in a joy that lasts more than a moment.
Examine your own attitude about worship. Do you delight in the worship of God to such a degree that it remains impressed upon you throughout the week? If not, how can you change this? During your prayers this week focus on what it means to behold God’s glory, reflecting specifically on elements of worship.
