This post got so long that I decided it should be a Bible study on my web page. Please read it here:
Not Unto Us, O Lord
After you have read this please answer this by leaving a post below: What can you say in worship and praise to God today that does not reflect upon your own needs or blessings?
Amen! We praise the LORD for who He IS! His character, His goodness, His love, His mercy, His wisdom above all wisdom, He is THE name above all names! Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking a lot about the mightiness of God, His power (and the way He withholds His wrath - which is another display of His power), and the way He will (in the future) receive all the glory and honour that is and should be His because of who and what He is in and of Himself.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons you outlined in this post are why I love some of those old hymns that don't focus on us - they are just SO rich and magnificent and in my mind encompass one of the best parts of worshipping the Lord: none of us and all of Him.
I was interested to read about the way the church services were run in Michigan, as you were writing about. I think that is one of the things I loved best about the meeting I grew up in - the way the brothers leant on the Holy Spirit for direction rather than having an "order of service" that barely leaves room for the moving of the Spirit (without the charasmatic touch, like you said). I also really appreciated the way in their morning service when they had the Lord's Supper the focus was not on "us" AT ALL - every Sunday! It was all about the Lord and His being and His works - as the Bible says we are to remember HIM (and yes His death, but that is still HIS doing and nothing of us, too!) - it's not a time to remember how great a sinner we are, but how great a Saviour He is! (That's the way I feel about it anyway).
What you wrote in your article is SO hard to find in today's churches - it doesn't seem to matter where you go, so much of the focus is on "us" - which I guess shouldn't be surprising considering that is the bent of our society in general!
Glory to God; He truly is KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS!
Thank you for your comments, ladies.
ReplyDeleteClara, thanks for you observations too. I miss the way we did things in the church in Michigan back then too. I guess the way so many churches are today is a fulfillment of 2 Tim. 3:2 where it says that "men shall be lovers of their own selves..." It has come into the church, especially where "seeker sensitive" ideas are exalted instead of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
There is another profound thought - all things are created for *His* pleasure. Oh, that we could grasp that thought. I think it would change our lives.