Dear Church Family,
In light of what the first three verses command in the Call to Worship in 1 Chronicles 16:8-12, the instructions in verse 11 make sense and push us onward and upward in our worship of God. A quick review of the opening words calls God’s people to “give thanks…call on His name…make Him known…sing to Him…glory in His name…rejoice.” Worship remains a calling that requires action.
David calls us to worship the Almighty God with the words. “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” As we look to the Lord we confess several great truths. We express our love of God for who He is and what He has done in saving us from our sins and watching over us day by day. We acknowledge our submission to Him and His powerful rule over us. We also rely on Him for strength to do what we in ourselves cannot do. He is our strength when we are weak. Proverbs 3:5-6 fits in well here with the call for us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
This stands in contrast to an observation that James Boice made, “Religion is your seeking after a god in your own image. Christianity is God’s seeking you and moving to redeem you by the death of His Son.” The world tempts us to look to our selves for strength, meaning and even truth. Since the Garden of Eden the evil one has lured people into serving as one’s own god. Let’s be honest, humans make lousy gods, but we try to our detriment. We want a user-friendly god who is ever-ready to meet our selfish needs.
We actually ache for the true God who comes after us as Jesus did to save us from our sins by dying on the cross. When we believe that our Savior occupies the center of our lives. We live for Him and not for self. We seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as Matthew 6:33 states. We give glory to God when we trust Him.
Looking to God alone shows humility and worship. It proclaims God to be the Creator and King and that we, who are in Christ are creatures and His servants. Solomon would write several years later what God spoke to Him after the dedication of the temple. In 2 Chr. 7:14 God says, “If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Daily we must seek the holy God who has come to us. Romans 3:11 (on which I will preach on April 19) has the stark fact that in their own merit “no one seeks God.” It is by grace alone that we can come to God.
This Call to Worship will be used in our Easter worship. I encourage you to use it now and prepare to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection.
Pastor Gillikin