Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. (Psalm 29:1-2, NIV).
This morning as I was watering our potted plants in the backyard, I was awed by the beauty of the violet-colored Morning Glories. As my mother used to say, “they were showing out!” As I gazed upon their brilliance and beauty, I immediately thought of our Heavenly Father, the giver of these precious visionary jewels. The craftsmanship of these delicate desserts for the eye was delightfully pleasurable and wholesome! They cried out to their maker the praises He so rightly deserves!
In Psalm 29 David speaks of God’s power and majesty. God’s greatness, beauty, splendor, and magnificence are incomprehensible to us mere mortals. I think we get glimpses of His grandeur upon occasion; glimpses meant to interrupt the mundane and cause us to ponder, mull over the magnitude of His immensity and His eye for design and detail. Today the morning glories He created were passionately shouting praises to the one who created them!
In worship, we can shout aloud our praises to the One who created us, nurtured us, and as believers, redeemed us! God has gifted each of us in different ways. That giftedness is meant to be used to give Him honor and glory whether in corporate worship or daily living. Each gift is different and to be expressed uniquely: voices recite, sing, and proclaim; hands play instruments, serve others and praise, and the list goes on. Whatever gifts we possess we are to utilize in service to our Master Designer!
Sunday was a powerful day of worship! We welcomed a new convert into our fellowship as he demonstrated his faithfulness in baptism. Josh powerfully proclaimed the Word. We celebrated the return of our Sanctuary Choir who gloriously lifted their voices to lead us in majestic worship! All this was done, not to give honor to ourselves, but to acclaim the awesomeness of our God! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
Fanny Crosby said it best in the hymn.
To God be the glory, great things He hath done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory great things He hath done!
Take a moment today to ponder His beauty and praise Him!
Pastor Keith