Worshiping God - Here, There, and Everywhere
When I was a child we wore “Sunday” dresses and often hats and gloves to show respect to God when we attended church. The sanctuary was a holy place that inspired wonder and worship. We sometimes knelt at our pews–sacred moments.
Growing up on a farm, I sensed God’s Presence every day. The wind. The rain. The storms. The garden. The intricacies of nature all pointed to a Creator. And while I didn’t think to worship, I felt wonder and awe at the power of God.
As a middle schooler, I played the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” on my clarinet for a baccalaureate service in a church. A special, holy moment I’ve never forgotten.
But worship cannot be confined to a building. When we sense God’s Presence, like the seraphim, we see that the whole earth is full of God’s glory.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” -- -- Psalm 19:1 (NIV).
Looking up on a starry night certainly inspires worship. And looking down on a sunny day also showcases God’s amazing creativity as we see flowers with stamens and pistils, petals and sepals. No one but a Divine Creator could have crafted such complexities that serve to nourish bees and add beauty to our world.
Our bodies are a universe in themselves with veins and arteries, capillaries and nerves that unite head and shoulders, knees and toes. Again, worthy of worshiping the One who created us.
The prophet Isaiah, who experienced a vision with seraphim declaring God’s holiness, wrote that in the year King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord (Isaiah 6:1). Isaiah lived in the kingdom of Judah during tumultuous times. Foreign powers threatened Israel’s autonomy.
When Isaiah heard the seraphim proclaim God’s holiness, he recognized his own sinfulness. One of the seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with a coal and declared his sins are forgiven.
In a grateful response, Isaiah offered to go to his people, even though they would close their ears to his message. True to his word, Isaiah went out. In dramatic ways, he called for people to turn from sin and recognize their holy God.
As we recognize God’s holiness, we respond in the same way Isaiah did as we recognize our sinfulness. But rather than a coal to our lips, Christ came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
As we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven. Praise God! That gives us the supreme reason to worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—no matter where we find ourselves!
Questions for Reflection:
1. Where do you most sense God’s Presence? How can you communicate with God there?
2. How were you introduced to Jesus? Thank the Lord for your salvation.
