BY PASTOR SUSAN YOUNG
Contributing Writer
What does it mean to worship the Lord? When I look at worship in the Bible, I see the life of King David. In 1 Samuel 13:14, God said that David was a man after his own heart.
David was a man of worship. He was a man who had been keenly aware of the presence of God in his life since childhood, and he developed a relationship with God that carried him through some difficult times.
Acts 13:21 says, “Then they asked for a King, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.”
Additionally, Acts 13:22 states, “And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their King, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’”
In 2 Samuel Chapter 6, David danced before the Lord and rejoiced for bringing home the ark of the covenant. His wife quickly rebuked him.
He turned to her and said, “I will be even more undignified than this because I will celebrate before the Lord.”
He worshiped the Lord in his dance, poetry, and songs, some of which you can still read today. Scholars believe he wrote about half of the psalms. These psalms showed a steady conversation with the Lord, illustrating an authentic relationship with him.
These psalms include Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, and 138-145.
What about being a worshiper is so near and dear to the heart of God? A word for worship in Greek is “proskuneo,” and it means to kiss the hand of the master. It is communion.
Imagine how close you have to be to kiss the hand of the master. There are times when my husband kisses my hand, and it brings such a warm smile to my heart.
When my kids were young, there were multiple times when I would look with awe and wonder at them, and I would kiss their hands. I did the same with my grandchildren. It is such an expression of the love I feel in my heart.
Can you understand why God would be captivated by our worship? It signifies a deep and strong relationship because I don’t kiss the hands of strangers.
To think that when I come before my Lord, my heart will be solely focused on him. I will reach out with my hand to embrace his and bring it to my lips to kiss.
It is such a profound and loving act that I can barely stand it. I have no doubt David loved the Lord.
Deuteronomy 5:6 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Mark 12:30, Matthew 22:37 and Luke 10:27 all reiterate this passage. David came to the Lord with his problems. He talked to him about the things going on in his life, and he spoke to him about the enemies he was facing.
David questioned God when he could not feel him and asked where he was when he could not see him. All of this is in the context of worship.
Prayer is in the context of worship. David leaves a legacy of deep and utter dependence and love of God.
I wonder, Beloved, what will you cast your gaze on today? What do you worship? Will you reach for the hand that will settle your spirit? Will you look to the Lord today in worship regardless of your circumstances?
