Psalm 96:1
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
If you have followed Meditations of My Heart for any length of time, most likely you know that my husband, Danny, and I help lead contemporary worship at our church every Sunday. He and I both love to sing, and we are blessed with voices (his, tenor, mine alto) which blend and harmonize in tandem. Praising the Lord in song is, hands down, our favorite way to worship.
When my granddaughter, Virginia Rose, visits me last week, we engage in many activities together, her favorite, as I've mentioned before, being Crazy Sand.
But, this day, Virginia spies her wooden blocks in the play closet and asks me to retrieve them for her. It's been ages since she's asked for these, and I am happy they are finally getting some use.
I dump them on the floor for her, eagerly anticipating what she will create. Virginia asks me to help, but I tell her I want to see what she can first do on her own. And, wow! Am I amazed by her skills!
"I did it, Gammie!" Virginia proudly proclaims.
"Yes, honey, you did," I assure her. "I'm impressed!"
Her joy overflowing, Virginia, to my surprise and delight, breaks into a spontaneous song she makes up as she goes along, all about how much she loves her cat, Henry, and her puppy, Spring.
And, as I witness her reveling and rejoicing with each note she sings, I think: This is what it means to sing to the Lord a new song, to praise His name and proclaim His salvation. To sing from the heart, not just the mind, with gratefulness, spontaneity, passion, and unbridled joy!
When the next Sunday rolls around, I envision the image of the celebrating Virginia before I open my mouth to sing the first note. I place myself in her shoes, a child rejoicing in the presence of her Father, and sing to Him a new song, one which swells from my heart and mind, soul and strength.
Engaged. Inspired. Present. Infused with the Holy Spirit.
I worship!
~
What is your favorite way to worship the Lord?
Prayer: Father, we thank You for all the ways You give us to worship You. Whether we feel closest to you when we read and meditate on Your Word, go to you in prayer, or offer songs of praise and thanksgiving, may we do so with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.
If you would like to listen to "As it is in Heaven" from which the title for this blog was taken, please click here. Our Crossroads band would love your feedback!
She's such a darling! I can't believe how big she has gotten. I love how the two of you play together. <3
ReplyDeleteSome days, I can't believe how big she is, either! Oh, they grow way too fast!
DeleteLove and blessings, Leah!
Great post on worship, Martha! Some where along the way, we've lost sight of what it truly means to worship God. We know that He desires to be worshiped in spirit and in truth, yet it's hard to know exactly what that means or how to do it. Worship certainly IS NOT entertainment! Seems to me, worship requires that we forget about ourselves and those around us and simply worship in the presence of God.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, we can look to children and how they spontaneously worship God.
Love and blessings!
You are so right about it NOT being entertainment for the congregation. We truly encourage them to sing along and revel in the worship experience, and often, we stop singing just to hear their voices raised in praise. Oh, that always gives me goosebumps! (God-bumps :))
DeleteTrue worship does require us to be present in the moment, allowing God, through His Holy Spirit, to move within us and through us so we inspire others to do the same. Also, our congregation will often applaud the songs. We always divert the praise for the band by offering words of praise to our Lord.
And, yes, children do make us see the goodness and greatness of our God in a whole new light. Thank the Lord for the little ones!
Love and blessings, Kim!
Oh, beautiful! No wonder He desires us to be as children! I have a screened porch at my home and love to be there coffee in hand early in the morning when all I hear are the birds singing and the breeze moving the leaves which make me think of angel wings fluttering. I am at once brought to a cathedral of praise!
ReplyDeleteOh, Martha, He does desire that of us! Little children simply rejoicing in His creation.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I make my coffee and sit out on our deck in the forest. What a joyous, yet quiet time, to be with the Lord! It is the best beginning to any day!
Love and blessings!
Music has always touched my heart the most so it definitely is my favorite way to worship. Lovely post. Little kids really are amazing. ♥
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, Kathy; music has been an integral part of my life, too, and I don't know what I'd do without it in my life. It is my favorite way to worship, hands-down!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I love listening to our little ones sing praise. A great reminder to keep our hearts child-like. Blessings to you and your beautiful, Virginia.
ReplyDeleteI know, Deb; there's nothing sweeter than hearing children sing. I helped direct children's choir at my church for over 15 years. That was a most rewarding, inspiring experience.
DeleteLove and blessings to you, too!
'This is what it means to sing to the Lord a new song, to praise His name and proclaim His salvation. To sing from the heart, not just the mind, with gratefulness, spontaneity, passion, and unbridled joy!'- true, very true!
ReplyDeleteOnce again , a great and enlightening post.
-Portia
Thank you so much, Portia! Glad you found this enlightening, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!