Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee!

Posted On October 4, 2020

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”

Psalm 100:1-2 NIV

The topic this week is worship. As we are instructed in Psalm 150:6 (NIV), “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” God created us to have fellowship with Him and He wants us to praise and worship Him. Isaiah tells us that even the mountains and the trees get in on the act:

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Isaiah 55:12 NIV

Although we’ll see that worship is much more than music, I have to admit that music is my favorite part! So we’ll begin and end this week’s discussion with two different versions of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Let’s start with the original, performed as a flashmob (I love those!) by the “Hans-Sachs” Choir and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Nuremberg, Germany, in 2014. Enjoy!

“Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150 NIV

There’s nothing like good music to stir your soul! I think that’s why we usually associate worship with music, and rightly so. But there is much more to it. At it’s essence worship is just pleasing God. The Student Bible Dictionary defines it this way:

“WORSHIP. Adore, obey, reverence, focus positive attention on (Ex. 34:14; John 4:23). Enjoy the presence of God. Any action or attitude that expresses praise, love, and appreciation for God. Worship can be expressed through obedience (Mic. 6:8) and the way we treat people (Matt. 25:37-40). Worship can be private or public (Matt. 6:6; Heb. 10:24-25).”

One of the verses mentioned in the definition above is Micah 6:8. Here is this verse in The Message translation:

“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.”

Micah 6:8 MSG

Take God seriously. I think that’s a good way to think about worship. Charles F. Stanley tells us, “Our intimacy with God — His highest priority for our lives — determines the impact of our lives. . . . To find the life that’s worth living, you must understand that you’re a special, beloved person and that God has a specific, wonderful plan for you that will give you all the love, fulfillment, significance, and power that you’re looking for.” It all begins with God. He has a plan for each one of us, but His main purpose for our lives is to have a close, personal relationship with Him. We must take this relationship seriously and put it at the top of our to-do list every day. One of the main components of worship is communing with God and spending time with Him. We all want to live meaningful lives, but that only happens as we learn to walk with God.

In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren discusses five purposes for which we were all created. The first one is to bring pleasure to God. When we worship God, we please Him by developing our relationship with Him. Here are some of the highlights from The Purpose Driven Life, “PURPOSE #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure”:

“Planned for God’s Pleasure”

• “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.”
• “Worship is far more than music.”
• “Worship is not for your benefit.”
• “Worship is not a part of your life; it is your life.”

“What Makes God Smile?”

• “God smiles when we love him supremely.”
• “God smiles when we trust him completely.”
• “God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly.”
• “God smiles when we praise and thank him continually.”
• “God smiles when we use our abilities.”

“The Heart of Worship”

• “The heart of worship is surrender.”
• “Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience and trust.”
• “Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works.”

“Becoming Best Friends with God”

• “God wants to be your best friend.”
• “Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with him.”
• “You can carry on a continuous, open-ended conversation with him throughout your day, talking with him about whatever you are doing or thinking at that moment.”
• “Everything you do can be ‘spending time with God’ if he is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of his presence.”
• “The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the ‘secrets’ of this life that most people miss.”

“Developing Your Friendship with God”

• “You are as close to God as you choose to be.”
• “I must choose to be honest with God.”
• “I must choose to obey God in faith.”
• “I must desire friendship with God more than anything else.”
• “The more you become God’s friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about.”

“Worship That Pleases God”

• “God wants all of you.”
• “God is pleased when our worship is accurate. . . . Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God.”
• “God is pleased when our worship is authentic. . . . God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.”
• “God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. . . . If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. You must engage your mind.”
• “God is pleased when our worship is practical. . . . Real worship costs.”
• “Real worship is rooted in the Word.”

“When God Seems Distant”

• “God is real, no matter how you feel.”
• “God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us.”
• “The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God.”
• “Tell God exactly how you feel.”
• “Focus on who God is — his unchanging nature.”
• “Trust God to keep his promises.”
• “Remember what God has already done for you.”

So worship is anything we do that pleases God. It’s one of the purposes for which we were created. We worship Him when we surrender our lives to Him in obedience and trust. He loves it when we love Him, trust Him, obey Him, praise Him, and thank Him. He wants to have a close, personal relationship with each one of us, and He wants to share every moment of our lives. God wants all of us. Real worship costs, but the more we learn about God, the more we want to be just like Him. God is real, and He’s always there waiting for us to draw near to Him. When we do, it fills Him with joy!

“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people . . . .”

Psalm 149:4 NASB

Max Lucado in Cure for the Common Life explains how we should view ourselves as God’s children: “Neither omnipotent nor impotent, neither God’s MVP nor God’s mistake. Not self-secure or insecure, but God-secure — a self-worth based in our identity as children of God. The proper view of self is in the middle. But how do we get there? . . . Worship.” As Rev. Lucado points out, worship sets our eyes on God. When we are focused on Him, we aren’t so focused on ourselves. Worship is giving honor to God every day in all that we do. It is humbling ourselves before the Lord and offering ourselves to Him. It is thanking Him for His grace and tenderness. It is applauding Him for His holiness and power. We need to worship God, for His sake and ours. He deserves it.

“Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

John 4:24 MSG

This week’s Scripture passages focus on worship. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. Also, as promised, we’ll end with another version of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Be sure to check out the video below.

Originally from the movie Sister Act 2, this more modern adaptation of Ode to Joy, called “Joyful, Joyful,” was performed by a group of artists in 2016 to support Teen & Police Service Academy, a program designed to connect at-risk youth and law enforcement. This rendition is completely different from Beethoven’s original symphony, but I love it just as much. May we all be this joyful as we worship our Lord!

“Joy rises in my heart until I burst out in songs of praise to him.”

Psalm 28:7 TLB

Images:

• Joy Featured image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
• Open Arms image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay
• Praying Hands image by Jenny Friedrichs from Pixabay
• Bible image by Pexels from Pixabay
• Choir image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

References:

• Dockrey, Karen, et al. The Student Bible Dictionary. Barbour, 2000.
• “Flashmob Nürnberg 2014 – Ode an die Freude.” YouTube, uploaded by Evenord-Bank eG-KG, 5 August 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a23945btJYw.
• “Joyful, Joyful – Sister Act 2 [Tiffany Mann, Kyle Taylor Parker, David Rowen, & Melissa Victor].” YouTube, uploaded by davidrowen/creative, 11 November 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KP3XizrZHQ.
• Lucado, Max. Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot. W Publishing Group, 2005.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Zondervan, 2002.