He Is Worthy of My Worship

Psalm 96 begins with a beautiful invitation: “O sing unto the LORD a new song.” Why should I worship God? The rest of this Psalm gives the answer. Verse 2 says: “Shew forth his salvation from day to day.”

That speaks deeply to me because when I look back over my life, I can see God's salvation and protection again and again. There have been so many situations where things could have gone very differently. There have been dangers I knew about and probably many dangers I never even saw. There have been problems involving work, family, transportation, schooling, finances, decisions, and circumstances that seemed difficult or impossible.

And somehow, again and again, God has helped us. Sometimes He opened a door. Sometimes He closed a door that needed to be closed. Sometimes He provided unexpectedly. Sometimes He changed a situation. Sometimes He protected us from something we only understood afterward and sometimes I simply look at what happened and think:

How did God do that?

There have been so many amazing things that I honestly cannot count them all. Psalm 96:3 says:

“Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”

I do not want to keep God's goodness to myself. I want to tell people what He has done. I want to proclaim His goodness. I want my life to say: God has been faithful to me. But Psalm 96 also reminds me that I do not worship God only because of what He has done for me.

I worship Him because of who He is. Verse 4 says: “For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised.”

He is worthy even before I receive another answer. He is worthy even before another blessing comes. He is worthy because He is God. The idols of the nations are nothing, “but the LORD made the heavens.” He is the Creator, He is holy, He is powerful, He is majestic. Verse 6 says: “Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”

What a picture of our God. Honor, Majesty. Strength, Beauty. This is the God I worship. After remembering everything He has done for me, I want to give Him what Psalm 96 says He deserves:

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name.”

That is what worship is. Giving God the glory that already belongs to Him. Today I want to sing to Him. I want to praise Him. I want to tell others about His goodness. I want to remember His wonderful works instead of quickly moving on to the next problem. God has done far too much for me to remain silent. He has been faithful through situations I could not control. He has helped my family in ways I could never have planned. I know there are countless things He has protected us from that I will never know about in this life.

So I want to say:

Lord, You deserve my worship. You deserve my praise. You deserve the glory. I will tell others about the amazing things You have done.

Reflection

Think about the past year. How many situations has God carried you through? How many prayers has He answered? How many dangers might He have protected you from? How many doors has He opened or wisely closed? Do not rush past His goodness. Remember it. Speak about it and worship Him, not only because of what He has done, but because He is worthy.

Prayer

Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. When I look back, I can see Your hand in so many parts of my life. You have protected me, provided for me, helped my family, opened doors, carried us through difficulties, and done things I could never have accomplished myself. I cannot count all Your wonderful works. Today I give You the glory that is due to Your name. Help me never to become so familiar with Your blessings that I forget to worship You. Let my life proclaim Your salvation and tell others about Your amazing works. You alone are God. You made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before You; strength and beauty are in Your sanctuary. You are worthy of all my praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.