Psalm 100

Reading for August 9, 2012       Psalm 100

In the late 1990s, Soul Survivor Church, in Watford, England was experiencing what they described as a period of apathy in their worship. Matt Redman, one of their worship leaders recalls, “There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.” The pastor asked his congregation, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

During that season, the congregation learned worship was about what they were bringing to God, not what the worship leaders were doing. The church had a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus. They learned worship was about singing praises ‘to’ Jesus, not just ‘about Jesus.’ In response to this transition in his church, Redman wrote a song that has become cherished throughout the world: The Heart of Worship.

When the music fades,

all is stripped away,

and I simply come

 Longing just to bring something

that’s of worth that will bless your heart

 I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Psalm 100 is also cherished throughout the world and serves as a model for worshiping God in truth and spirit. As followers of Jesus, we remember that God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be, because no one is as they should be. With that thought in mind, read Psalm 100 again. Contemplate each attribute of God the psalmist extols. Change the words so that it becomes first person with you singing to the Lord. This is my personalization of Psalm 100:

I shout with joy to you, my Lord, I worship you with gladness. I come before you singing with joy because you are God! You made me, and I am yours. I am among your people, the sheep of your pasture. I enter your gates with thanksgiving; I go into your courts with praise, giving thanks to you and praising your name. For you, my Lord are good, your unfailing love continues forever, and your faithfulness continues to each generation.

Before your next worship service, allow your personalization of Psalm 100 to help prepare you for the heart of worship:

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are available by email. Contact me at Amkrom812@gmail.com to be added to the email list.

This BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Reading for August 10, 2012      Psalm 101