Worship: September 8, 2014

 TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2014.

WORSHIP

DEFINITION:

Reverent honor paid to God; adoring reverence or regard; to express praise and devotion.

SCRIPTURE:

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping Him. II Chronicles 20:18.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In this passage from II Chronicles we read about the tremendous word that King Jehoshaphat received from God through Jahaziel, the Levite. Just after learning that three armies had joined together to wage war against Judah, the message (verse 17) to the king and to his people was that they did not have to fight this battle because the Lord would be with them.

When this message of assurance came to King Jehoshaphat he was so overcome with gratitude that he bowed his head with his face to the ground and worshipped God. The people of Judah followed their King and showed the type of reverence in their worship which is said to be in awe, respect and love.

It is awesome to note that this all took place before the battle had even begun. Before the victory came their way the king and his people fell on their faces and worshipped the Lord.

Early the next morning they went out to meet the vast army coming to attack them. As they marched they continued worshipping and praising God saying, “Give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever.” What a contrast: One army shouting their battle threats and the other singing their praises to God.

The rest of the story is that God caused the enemy armies to turn on each other. When the army of Judah arrived to battle, they saw only dead bodies on the ground. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. On the fourth day Jehoshaphat and his men assembled together to worship and praise the Lord.

Worship deepens our faith and leads us to victorious living no matter what our circumstances.

Way back in Deuteronomy 6:13 we read that Moses instructed the Children of Israel to fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. Moses was fearful that they would forget God when they became prosperous. Moses gave the Children no option but to obey and worship God.

To disobey God would lead to their destruction. Israel continually turned away from God and it lead to their destruction over and over again.

In Psalm 66:4 the psalmist reminds us, “All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name.

What a blessed opportunity we have to stop every day and take the time to worship God. Is this a habit in your life? Unfortunately most believers today take very little time to worship God. Many worship God in the church service they attend but what about in your daily communication with God. If you are weak in this area begin today and worship God during your quiet time with Him Praise Him for His enduring love because all we have has come from Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 6:23.

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER:

What an awesome privilege we have to worship You. Help us to remember that true worship exalts God to His rightful place in our lives. Thank You for Your enduring love for me.