The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
To Worship God, part 1
When we think of worshiping God we generally envision singing in a church sanctuary on Sunday as the setting. But worship is a daily lifestyle activity that is not only expressed in words but also in our attitudes, actions, and choices. Today in part one of a four-part series I will discuss verbal worship.
Shortly after her encounter with the angel, Gabriel, and his message of the Christ-child that would be born to her, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. In response to Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit-motivated speech of blessing on her, she communicated her worship of God in a monologue commonly referred to as her “Magnificat”. It is a profound pattern for verbal praise and worship that generally enumerates the great works of God that had led up to that point in history as it relates to her and her people, Israel:
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed for He that is mighty has done to me great things. … Holy is His name and His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever” (Luke 1:46-54).
Her words have been sung in church worship services all over the world. But they can also be used in private prayer and worship. Applying this template to my own worship I can magnify the Lord and rejoice in God my Savior for regarding my own low estate in bringing me, a sinner, to a saving knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. We who are Christians by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ are blessed with the amazing gift of God’s grace in our lives. We read about God’s work and grace in the lives of believers in the Bible or from other generations previous to ours and we call them blessed because of the amazing work God did through them in their own times.
I can use Mary’s words verbatim except for future people calling me blessed and the reference to Abraham and his seed forever. Although I am not of Jewish descent, I am adopted into the very family of God through His son. The possibilities for my praise of that and worship using Mary’s pattern by itself are numerous. But any Psalm and many other passages in the Bible can also be used directly and verbally in our private worship.
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Update and Prayer: We had a good laugh last week when the elderly lady in the infusion chair next to Dan’s asked me if he is my dad. He commented that it is time to trim his beard if he looks that old. Dan’s pain during his infusions is not only in his back. Last week his shoulders hurt as well, along with his hands, toes, and hips (anywhere he has arthritis). His recovery time of tiredness from the infusion increases each time, as well. Please pray for continued energy and focus for work especially.
