You Need to Worship

Read Psalms 42, 53, 58, 81, 101
 
Psalm 42:1-6a For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” 4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! 5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and 6 my God!
 
THE psalm begins with the picture of the deer who “longs for” water, meaning it is panting, breathing heavily as it seeks water. Air and water are life.
   And we need something else. The psalmist longs for a third missing element of life. Surrounded by taunting enemies, he has been unable to worship. His dry soul pants for the answer, “Where can I go and stand before the Living God?” He longs to be singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration. To be fully alive, he needs to stand before God and worship him.
   God made mankind to worship God. This began in the Garden when Adam and Eve walked with God. We see longing hearts in Noah’s response to God’s care through the Flood. We also know one reason for God to free his people from Egypt was worship: Exodus 9:13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.’” We see Joshua and Samuel faithfully worshiping God at critical moments in Israel’s history. And we know Jesus’ final act as a man on earth was to worship his Father in heaven.   
   Satan’s aim, though, is to keep your soul dray and isolated from God. One of the devil’s devices today is through improper use of our mass communication technology. Yes, I know we have many excellent ways to teach God’s Word in our communities, nations and globally without ever seeing people face-to-face. I’m using one way now writing and sending this lesson to you. But there is danger in putting such efforts as the main way we worship God. Ever since the development of wonderful, Bible-teaching radio and television ministries, there has been the threat that people will stay away from the church to “worship” on their own. We have seen this grow to epidemic-like numbers in the year of the pandemic threat. The church has been among the first places we left, and the church has become the last places we return.
   We must understand that to worship away from the church weakens the soul as lack of air and water weakens the body. That’s why the true pandemic in our world is depression, mental illness, fear, suicide and unbelief as we separate from the joy of worship and suffocate our Spirt-empty souls.
   Is there something missing in your life? Could it be you are missing a time to worship God?