Does this Describe You?
“Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 20:18
Know when King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah praised and worshiped God? BEFORE their battle. DURING their battle. AFTER the victory God gave them in their battle. Convicting for you as it is for me?
Do we worship God only in church if we even go to church? Or praise Him only after He gives us something we want? Thank Him only because we feel obligated if we thank Him at all? Celebrate thanksgiving only once yearly? Or acknowledge God only when we need something? Worship God only after a victory? Praise Him only when we remember? Ouch.
Do we praise God BEFORE the battle we face? Do we worship Him DURING the battle in which we are entrenched? Do we praise and worship God AFTER the battle no matter the outcome, victory or not?
God created us to love and worship Him forever, to bring Him praise, honor, adoration, and worship, to revere and exalt Him, to magnify Him, to proclaim Him, to look to Him, to seek Him, to bring Him pleasure, to bring Him joy, to be in His presence, to spend time with Him, to honor Him, to enjoy His fellowship and company, to commune with Him away from the crowds and busyness of life, to grow in Him, to grow more like Him, to share Him with others, to be still before Him, to come ever closer to Him, to grow ever deeper in relationship to and with Him, to come into His shelter, His refuge, His secret place, under His wings, to rest there, to abide in Him, to provide a house for His Spirit to dwell, to sacrifice our lives for Him, to offer Him praise and thanksgiving as the Bible teaches, to study His Word, to hear His voice, to listen for Him speaking to us by His Spirit, to obey Him, to live and breathe and work for and serve Him, to be His children forever and ever. Is this for all of us? We can’t be in His presence now or in heaven because of our sin which separates us from Him. Jesus Christ went to the cross so those who turn from their sins, believe in Him as Lord and live accordingly, yielding their lives to Him utterly, forsaking their own ways and living for God and by His ways, will be in fellowship with God forever. We’re all invited to come into God’s fold and Kingdom through Christ. Only those who turn from a lifestyle of sin to a lifestyle of Christ, of praise and worship and living for God come.
Praise and worship are not designed just for sitting in a pew. Or for a buffet table from which we choose what tastes good. Praise and worship are for those who follow Christ, regardless of whether we’re facing a battle, in one, or celebrating a victory. A good reminder for us all, don’t you think?