So am I the only one who ever allows my time in the Word of God to get squeezed out? Or at least minimized to the point of being a dim flicker instead of the bright light it’s intended to be for my soul (Psalm 119:105)?
It’s all too easy to let the urgent squeeze out the necessary. But so much suffers when I allow that to happen. So very much suffers.
And not the least of which is my worship life. The depth of our worship is dependent on our experiential knowledge of the God we bow to. (More on that here.) And that knowledge begins with time in His living and active Word (Hebrews 4:12). That’s where our knowledge of Him grows. And it’s where we hear Him calling us into a more intimate, love relationship that gives us the growing desire to worship Him.
And even when we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), it’s still all too easy to be convinced that it’s just not necessary today – which then becomes next week . . . next month . . .
So lately, my attention has been caught by verses that remind me of how vitally important being in the Bible is to the worship that God’s called me to do. Here’s some of what I’ve found:
“O send out Your light and Your truth (His word), let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill (the place for worship)
And to Your dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You,
O God, my God.” (Psalm 43:3-4).
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth” (Psalm 115:1).
“Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You”
(Psalm 119:38).
“Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders” (Psalm 119:27).
“I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me”
(Psalm 119:74-75).
According to these verses, the Bible is vital to my worship life, because:
~ Focusing on the truth of God’s word leads us to a place of worship → worship. ~ Stopping long enough to know God makes us want to exalt Him → worship. ~ Knowing God’s truth makes us want to give Him glory → worship. ~ Having His word established in us produces reverence for Him → worship. ~ Understanding God’s ways causes us to meditate on His wonders → worship. ~ Delighting in God’s law makes us want to praise Him → worship!
So it makes complete sense why the enemy would want to keep us out of God’s word!
No time in the Bible → no growth in knowledge of God → no reverence or love for God → no changed life → no worship.
So let’s pray the truth of these verses into our lives. Let’s commit to the necessary goal of being in God’s word daily – and not just reading it, but “delighting” in it. (No, I’m not saying missing a day here and there will ruin your life. But just like any love relationship, the more time you spend in it, the more the love and delight grow. And every day we miss, we’re not moving forward – we’re missing out. God’s missing out.) And let’s invite God to use His Word in our lives in a way that would bring Him the most glory as we grow to reflect all that He is. Invite Him to lead you into worship!
O God, “send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill!” (Psalm 43:3).
How have you experienced the Word of God impacting your worship?
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