Worship: Dare to Delight
Delicate…fragile…vulnerable…pure…these are the thoughts that reach a listener’s mind as one hears the music of Canadian-born artist Kristina. In fall 2004 Kristina released two albums: Bare My Soul and Hymns: The Old Made New. Here, she talks about learning to delight in God through song… regardless of whether or not we appreciate the sound of our own voice.
You’re at the dinner table with your family. The children are whining about what’s been served to them. The one in the highchair pummels food on the floor. The meal has turned cold… and you feel like you’ve just about had it!
Then, suddenly, one of the children spontaneously breaks into song. And it’s not just any song, it’s a song to you
about how much he loves you! The tune is so simple and the words are sweet, and he sings it just like a lullaby he’s heard you sing to him so often, “I love you mommy, I love you so much, thank you for being my mommy.” Even though his voice is soft, you can hear it above the din of the others. It sounds so good, not because of the quality of his voice, but because of the peacefulness in it.
Now imagine all the children, who have been bickering noisily all this time, suddenly stop. It’s totally silent, they look at each other, and then at you, and then all together they burst into, “We love you mommy, we love you so much, thank you for being our mommy.” All of their eyes are focused on your face and they really mean it! How would that make you feel? I know you’re probably wondering what you might have accidentally put in their food, but the grins on their faces, and the twinkle in those little eyes tell you it’s for real.
This is a picture God recently gave me of our worship and what it means to Him. Can you imagine how it makes God feel when we use our unheavenly voices with our limited human language to tell him how we much we adore Him?
Two paths to worship
Worship means two things to me. First, Romans 12:1 comes to mind: “in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.” What God really wants is to help us take our everyday, ordinary life — our sleeping, eating, working-outside-the-home or working-inside-the-home life — and place it before Him as an offering. Embracing what God does for us is the best thing we can do for Him. That is worship in the broad sense.
Second, worship is the activity of glorifying God in His presence with our voices and hearts. I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorite ways to worship. I feel as though I can best let Him know how I really feel about Him by singing songs to Him. I also love to watch others sing, especially when they aren’t inhibited by the sound of their own “not-so-perfect” voices, or how they look. I am always inspired when I see the same young man down at the front of our church in the first pew week after week. He attends every service in the morning, even though all three are the same. He sings his heart out and he dances around like nobody’s looking. The joy I feel when I watch him probably doesn’t compare to the joy and pleasure God feels.
God delights in you
The amazing truth of Scripture is that God is delighted! When God first made the universe, He looked on all of it with delight, and saw that “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God takes special delight in human beings whom He has created and redeemed. I have always treasured the reminder Isaiah has given us, so much, that I had it printed on my wedding invitation:
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord…
you shall be called My delight is in her…
for the Lord delights in you…
as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over
you (Isaiah 62:3-5).
The same theme is echoed in this verse that my mom gave me when I was a teenager:
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
We should be encouraged by this truth, for as we love God and praise Him we realize that we are bringing great joy and delight to His heart. And the deepest joy of love is the joy of bringing delight to the heart of the one you love, isn’t it?
We delight in God
The awesome thing about worship is that it goes both ways. Not only does God delight in us, but when we worship God, truly giving Him glory in our hearts and with our voices, we delight in God. He created us not only to glorify Him but also to enjoy Him and delight in His excellence. We probably experience delight in God more fully in worship than in any other activity in this life.
The Psalms became dear to my heart while I was in college. I was away from home for the first time and began experiencing a genuine need for God. My worship of Him became more passionate. David’s feelings echoed my sentiments exactly. The “one thing” that I will seek for above all else is “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). He also says “In your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). Another verse that resonates with me is “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). And one of my favorite passages which has recently become a popular worship song that I love to sing says:
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God…
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!…
For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84:1-2, 4, 10).
God likes the sound of your voice
I can’t think of anything other than worshipping God that would make me feel more deeply that I am doing the thing for which I was created. Can you? I especially feel this way when I sing. Even if you don’t like the sound of your own voice, God does, especially when it is being directed to Him! Whether it’s in the car while you sing along to the radio, at church during the congregational singing, or in the shower, God hears us in all the moments of our day. Go ahead and try it! Bring Him delight with a song of love today and you will see how much you can delight in God.
This makes no since to me, you stated that we delight in GOD and GOD delights in us, but you didnt not defend your statement with any proof of scripture. I dont see how it ties together. You never stated how GOD delights in us? Please advise
Did you get your information from Wayne Grudem?