Image by William Adams from Pixabay I am learning that praise is seeking the Lord God, while worship is being found by Him. Keep in mind that the goal of praise is to create an atmosphere for the Presence of our Lord God. That is why Abraham, Moses and David were such close friends with God. Here is what ambassador James wrote concerning Abraham: Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. James 2:21-23
They made room for the Lord God in their lives.
Their deeper hunger to know and obey Him was the basis for their relationship with Him. This should be our goal as Kingdom citizens. This is true for all genuine worshippers of the King. They love to be with the King and He loves to be with them. God, you are the Holy One. You sit as King upon the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 ERV He shows up because they have an authentic devotion to Him and a passion for Him. Praise and worship are related, but have very different activities, experiences, and purposes.
How welcome would you feel if a friend or family invited you into their home,
but completely ignored you and went about their busy day?
Praise is initiated by us. Worship is the Lord God’s response. Keep in mind, praise is something we do. Worship is something He releases. Even as I write this, Arlene and I are filling our home with songs of praise. We are setting the atmosphere for His worship. Praise is building a house for our Lord God to inhabit. Worship is Him moving in. True worship cannot be generated by us. It is completely dependent on Him. What I am learning is that we may seek to enter worship through praise, but it is up to Him whether He will respond to our initiative.
Without His Presence, worship is just a song.
Here is a truth: We cannot worship the Lord God unless we have first genuinely praised Him. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Even as I write this article, I feel pain shooting through the right side of my body, but I truly thank the King for my healing! We don’t only praise Him when our lives are doing great. We praise Him for who He is, not how we are feeling!
Understand, when you fail to praise the Lord genuinely, you become like the religious people around you, and as it was in the Lord Jesus’ day.
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8-9
As I was speaking with Arlene this morning, I assured her that true praise and worship was sometimes tough because of our thoughts. The battle, by nature, for all of mankind, is a battle with our minds—specifically our thoughts and emotions. But the results are well worth it because everything we need—joy, rest, peace, mercy, power, provision, victory and wisdom—is in the Lord God, our King. All these things and more are available to us in His Presence. As David said, You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
Our minds need to be filled with His thoughts and His Presence. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
We don’t seek His gifts and blessings; we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and there is His Presence. When we persist in asking for things instead of Him, we forfeit precisely what we have been seeking. We become out of order. We lose worship of the very One who holds everything we need in His hand. King David was the embodiment of praising the King. He put it this way:
For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your Presence. Psalm 21:6
The Lord God’s Presence will shelter you from your enemies. Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. Which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!
You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20
They made room for the Lord God in their lives.
Their deeper hunger to know and obey Him was the basis for their relationship with Him. This should be our goal as Kingdom citizens. This is true for all genuine worshippers of the King. They love to be with the King and He loves to be with them. God, you are the Holy One. You sit as King upon the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 ERV He shows up because they have an authentic devotion to Him and a passion for Him. Praise and worship are related, but have very different activities, experiences, and purposes.
How welcome would you feel if a friend or family invited you into their home,
but completely ignored you and went about their busy day?
Praise is initiated by us. Worship is the Lord God’s response. Keep in mind, praise is something we do. Worship is something He releases. Even as I write this, Arlene and I are filling our home with songs of praise. We are setting the atmosphere for His worship. Praise is building a house for our Lord God to inhabit. Worship is Him moving in. True worship cannot be generated by us. It is completely dependent on Him. What I am learning is that we may seek to enter worship through praise, but it is up to Him whether He will respond to our initiative.
Without His Presence, worship is just a song.
Here is a truth: We cannot worship the Lord God unless we have first genuinely praised Him. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Even as I write this article, I feel pain shooting through the right side of my body, but I truly thank the King for my healing! We don’t only praise Him when our lives are doing great. We praise Him for who He is, not how we are feeling!
Understand, when you fail to praise the Lord genuinely, you become like the religious people around you, and as it was in the Lord Jesus’ day.
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8-9
As I was speaking with Arlene this morning, I assured her that true praise and worship was sometimes tough because of our thoughts. The battle, by nature, for all of mankind, is a battle with our minds—specifically our thoughts and emotions. But the results are well worth it because everything we need—joy, rest, peace, mercy, power, provision, victory and wisdom—is in the Lord God, our King. All these things and more are available to us in His Presence. As David said, You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
Our minds need to be filled with His thoughts and His Presence. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
We don’t seek His gifts and blessings; we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and there is His Presence. When we persist in asking for things instead of Him, we forfeit precisely what we have been seeking. We become out of order. We lose worship of the very One who holds everything we need in His hand. King David was the embodiment of praising the King. He put it this way:
For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your Presence. Psalm 21:6
The Lord God’s Presence will shelter you from your enemies. Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. Which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!
You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100:1-5 NLT
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100:1-5 NLT
Remember, your faith in His Word is your greatest asset in the Kingdom.
All scriptures are NKJV unless noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
All scriptures are NKJV unless noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
