Why do you worship God?
“After being an employee at a 24/7 restaurant, Chick-fil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy, was all too familiar with working long and frequent hours. So when he debuted the first Chick-Fil-A location in Hapeville, Georgia in 1946, he made a mandate that his brand would be closed on Sundays to allow employees time to rest, recharge, and worship if they desire, according to the brand’s website.” Walsh goes on to point out that Chick-fil-A makes this choice despite it causing an estimated loss of $1.2 billion per year” (Karla Walsh, “The Real Reason Why Chick-fil-A Is Closed on Sundays,” Southern Living, April 13, 2024).
Today we will look at the second psalm out of the 6 that we will study this year… Psalm 33, which is a call to worship. Why should we worship God? Let’s feed our spirit on this psalm.
One thing I want to point out is that the verbs in this psalm are all in the plural. That shows us that the writer is addressing his thoughts to many people – the whole nation of Israel.
WHO SHOULD WORSHIP – 33:1:
Notice in this verse that the writer addresses the “righteous ones.” These are people who have done what God tells them to do to be holy and right in His eyes. These are the ones who are “upright.” They have been forgiven, which was the theme of chapter 32.
HOW SHOULD WE WORSHIP – 33:2-4:
Notice these voices were joyful voices. The writer mentions the “shout of joy” twice, once in verse 1 and once in verse 3. We will worship joyfully if and when we worship from the heart.
In verse 4, the writer says we should worship God in joy because (“for”) the word of the Lord is upright (the same word used to describe worshippers in verse 1), and His work is done in “faithfulness.”
When we pray, we pray because God is faithful.
When we give, we give because God is faithful.
When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we do it because we know God is faithful.
When we sing, we do so because God is faithful.
WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP – 33:5-19:
Because of God’s creation (33:5-7).
Because of God’s plans (33:8-11).
Because of God’s Nature (33:12-15; note also His nature expressed in verses 5-7).
Because of God’s Faithfulness (33:16-19).
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE WORSHIP – 33:20-22:
When our soul waits for the Lord, He becomes our help and our shield – ver. 20.
Our heart rejoices in Him (cf. verses 1, 3). We trust in His holy name as representative of Who He is.
So when we worship, we call for God’s lovingkindness to be upon us, consistent with our hope in Him. In verses 21-22, we have reference to “faith, hope, and love.” Our hope in Christ will never disappoint us (Rom. 5:5).
When we come to worship, we are not interested just in leaving, feeling good about ourselves. Feelings are temporary and they are sometimes deceptive. What we need to do is leave worship loving God more, fearing Him (being more in awe of Him) more deeply, and loving each other more, while having a stronger faith in God’s promises and a deeper appreciation for Jesus and hope in Him. Then we can go into our battle with Satan with more confidence and joy. If that is the case, then our worship has accomplished much good.
Let us lift our voices in praise and bow our hearts in awe before the Lord.
Paul Holland
