Worship

Sometimes the words from the Word are enough…

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:1–17)

…enough because Jesus is enough. Always.

PRAY: Today my heart is filled with the wonder of God, not because of any special event, or even a good night’s sleep — or even the delightful dream in which I signed up for piano lessons. Jesus, I love You, just because. You are the Lion and the Lamb, my shelter in the time of storm, my joy in a weary land. Today You give me great rest in You, my great Savior and God. Thank You.


 

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain . . .

 

 

Two days ago, a dear friend went to be with Jesus. She was in her nineties and nearly a year ago had a stroke that kept her in bed and not able to do much but smile. My reaction to the news was first tears — I’d wanted to see her once more — then strangely great joy. This verse came to mind from Romans 8:18. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” as the Lord reminded me of where she is, in glory with Him — and I will see her again!

Today’s word is WORTHY. My friend loved Jesus, never considered herself worthy of being loved by Him but knew she was. She was strong in faith and often declared it. She also lived it. One time I told her my foot was sore and she got down on the floor, put her hands on it and prayed that God would fix it. She would say, “God did it, now act like it.”

David was like that. In 2 Samuel 22:4 he said, “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” — such an important truth that it is repeated in Psalm 18:3 and throughout Scripture.

Before Jesus came, John the baptizer declared: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11–12)

Jesus proved His worth in all that He said and did. His words are always true, words of life. His actions reflect the power of Almighty God, worthy of our praise and evidence of His worth, yet “though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.” To rationale thought, this is bizarre. It is like blaming an innocent baby for waking you up in the night, or blaming your doctor for telling you what is wrong with you. Yet this response to the great worth of Jesus Christ shows the great depth and influence of sin; it permeates every part and every faculty of humanity.

Jesus came to change that. His life, death and resurrection prove that He is worthy and able to give new life and to put to death sin and its power. His resurrection is a great glory, like nothing that ever happened before yet happens to all who put their faith in Him. My friend is in glory because Jesus is worthy!

While she was here and while I am here, we are told to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” because “Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses (Inferring the Law)— as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” And someday, together we will sing with a heavenly choir:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Yet now there are limitations. Do I realize the fullness of His worth? The angels had their concerns as did John when he saw the need for someone worthy:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Jesus resolved their concerns and “They sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 4:11: 5:1-5; 9-10)

This written glimpse of glory fills my heart with joy as I imagine this scene that includes myself, my friend, my parents and sister and all others who worship the One who is worthy who is standing before us and welcoming us into His eternal kingdom to reign forever with Him.