Psalm 95

Psalm 95 provides a primer on how we worship. The verbs in this chapter set the stage for our great experience and expression of worship. The author begins with the word “come”. Worship is that place where the heart of God and the heart of His children meet. Oswald Chambers said, “Worship is giving God the best He has given you.” ​

Psalm 95
O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

Worship carries the idea of showing reverence to God. It’s an active, adoring response whereby we declare His worth. To worship means to pay homage to God: Psalm 95 is a reminder that we are invited to come and worship the great God of the universe.

The author also uses the word sing to identify the expression of our worship. Worship and music are made for each other. Psalm 95 is an invitation to corporate. Worship is contagious. I am lifted higher in my worship when I am standing with people singing praises to the Lord. When I am surrounded others, I am moved by the power of God working in their lives as they worship.

The next active response of the worshiper is to shout. Specifically, the worshiper is called to shout joyfully! This is an expression of finding our ultimate delight in God. C.S. Lewis said, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.” Our open exuberance for Christ makes our delight for Him even more enjoyable.

As we come to worship, we are to come before His presence with thanksgiving. Do you ever think about the fact that when we gather for worship, we are in the presences of God? We are joined by the One we worship. A.W. Tozer wrote over 50 years ago: “the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the ‘program.’ This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service that now passes for worship among us.” 

Unfortunately when we come to watch an event instead of worship our creator, we are in deep trouble. When we come for the purpose of entertainment we completely miss the great joy of communion with God.

My prayer is that we grow in our understanding and expression of worship. I want to challenge you to devote yourself to this great task because this is the purpose for which we were created!