True Worship in Unexpected Way

My wife and I have been reading a Psalm a day for nearly a month now. We take time to write our thoughts down and share them with each other. After several days, I saw a definition-by-example of true worship emerge.

I say true worship because, through six-plus decades, I have experienced a wide variety of types. We’ve been involved in discussions and teachings to distinguish praise from worship, the purpose and place of each.

Where it began with me

My early steps into what I understood as worship began when I was saved at age nine. I learned the children’s choruses like Jesus Loves the Little Children and I’m in the Lord’s Army in Sunday School Class. During the full church service, I sang along with the grand hymns. I loved both forms. In short order, Mom introduced me to gospel quartet music, which was over the top for me. The quartets could make even the old hymns come alive with greater pathos or bounce. I wished church would be like that each Sunday. We occasionally got a bit of my wish with the occasional tent revival meetings or Christian concerts.

Major shift

Becoming disappointed with the church, experiencing rising doubts, and facing temptations of the world; I fell away from faith for a time between my mid-teens to early twenties. The Lord surely said I had gone far enough as He then plunged me back into fellowship with Him and other believers. I heard a whole new realm of music filtering in with the old hymns. There were new choruses that told the gospel message in fresh ways. On the tail of that, we began having verses of scripture placed to music. Those helped us hide God’s Word in our hearts. Whatever struggle or victory we faced could easily trigger a chorus to sing.

I feel like churches moved too quickly away and too far from the scripture songs. But the popularity of new music styles pushed the industry onward. Out of those changes have come some of the greatest rivals to even Handel’s Messiah, reaching wonderful heights of worship.

But I am reminded of a radio spot several years ago that encouraged people to lift up a joyful noise even if they think they can’t sing. It had a soundtrack of an old hymn sung with country twang and sometimes a little off key playing behind the announcer. I thought I attended some churches that sounded like that when I was a boy. The announcer then encouraged the listeners that when we sing to the Lord from a sincere heart, He hears this. The recording then changed to a professional, large choir with perfect harmonies.

Understand, techniques are not what makes or breaks worship from God’s perspective. In fact, true worship doesn’t require singing at all. I’m not suggesting that it’s unnecessary or should be dropped. However, in David’s psalms, we can hear his heartbeat for a greater form of worship.

 

David’s complaints

The first thirty psalms contain but a few examples of nothing but praise. In those, David recounts the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. He extols God’s mighty acts. His voice can cause the earth to tremble, yet He is gentle and merciful, full of lovingkindness. Following David’s example, hymns, contemporary songs, and choruses have brought a crescendo of high praise and worship.

David often expresses his thanks to the Lord. This, too, is a form of worship, especially in times of stress and trials. Being thankful, despite circumstances, expresses surrender to the Lord’s will and trusting Him to work to bring about good in them. Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonians to give thanks in everything, anticipating the will of God to be made manifest. And to the church in Rome, he wrote concerning those who rejected truth, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Lack of thankfulness has disastrous consequences.

Worship in complaining

In the first thirty psalms, David filled most of them with moaning and complaining, which I think God also saw as worship. Did I just lose you? Give me one moment to explain.

I know the Bible has more than one reference to the children of Israel missing out on entering the Promise Land because of their complaining; however, not all complaining is bad. First, their deliverance came about because God heard their complaints concerning their slavery. The complaining in the desert held a marked difference from their earlier complaints. David’s complaints show the difference between complaining against God (what Israel did in the wilderness) versus complaining to Him (as Israel did in Egypt).

Second, instead of complaining against God, putting blame on Him, they complained to Him and reminded Him of His promise. Explaining their suffering and struggle to Him was affirming their belief that He had the power and authority to change things. In their complaints, they were by their words and actions saying, ‘in You Lord is our trust’.

Unlike Israel in Egypt, David had around him an army ready to act on his command. He could have used his authority, influence, and power to defend himself. We see in the psalms his reciting to the Lord all that was happening and trusted Him alone to bring resolution. Then he thanked, praised, promised and declared, and in one instance, went to sleep.

Jesus had His time of “complaining to” His Father in the garden. Like David, he let his fears and anxiety lay bare before the Father and submitted to his Father’s will above his own. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. If we worship by sight, that is not faith. David and Jesus worshipped by faith in their surrender and so pleased the Father.

I hope that complaining to God will never occupy the larger portion of our worship, but I have opened my understanding and heart to know I can, in faith, complain to (not against) the Lord, confess my weakness, and release the faith I have as worship acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.