The Splendor of His Holiness

There is a deeply personal surrender that we are called to live out in response to our God’s holiness. He is worthy of our worship. Worship refers to the personal posture of our spirit before God. We are called to bow down before Him and worship Him as the everlasting King of our lives.
 
It is certainly easy to be confused between worship and praise. While both are required of us, they are different in their motivations. Praise comes out of a joyful outpouring of gratefulness. Praise is the natural response of our hearts, bodies, and minds when we dwell on the Greatness and Goodness of God. We are ordained to praise His glorious name. It is a natural, joyful response when we understand the significance of His work. It is the response of our bodies and our hearts, while worship is the response of our spirits.

Worship is reverence; praise is rejoicing. Worship is surrender; praise is celebratory. We worship in spirit and in truth; we praise because we are His creations. All creations praise Him; even the rocks will cry out if we do not (Luke 19:40). While all creation can praise Him, only we who were created in the image of the Lord God have a spirit like He does. It is our spirits which worship Him – in a way that is beyond what our physical bodies can do.

We worship in Spirit and in Truth
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” - John 4:24

Last week we focused on returning to a well of the Holy Spirit. That is God’s Spirit which lives in us! This connection to God is what allows us to worship Him in a deeper way than just with our physical bodies. This is not to say that there is anything wrong or ‘less than’ about praise. We are called to praise numerous times in the Bible. But praise is just one component of worship – praise stems out of the posture of worship that we should be living out.

We get to worship God in truth as well, because His truth is just so good. Every bit of knowledge we have about Him should lead us to a deeper place of worship. We are called to worship the splendor of His holiness (Psalm 96:9 & 1 Chronicles 16:29). The truth about God is that He is Worthy of our worship.

He is Worthy
He is Worthy
He is Worthy

He is worth our worship. If you haven’t let that sink into your soul, just contemplate it now. Don’t try to keep Him at arm’s length. Don’t believe the lie that He wants to keep you at arm’s length. Although we are not worthy of His love, He makes up the difference between us. He literally overcame the gap so that He could be close to us in His GOODNESS. Rush to His feet and sit in adoration of his worthiness. This is the posture of worship: adoring Him. There is nothing more. It is so easy, yet so powerful.

Worship is Surrender
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.”- Romans 12:1

We give up the things of this world to worship Him. We give up control and the belief that we are the center of our own lives. We are meant to offer our bodies and our lives as a living sacrifice.

As people who love to be in control, this is not the most appealing call. We believe that giving ourselves fully to God will feel like free-falling; a sudden, careening plummet without any direction or control. But it is truly, quite the opposite. Nothing and no one but God deserves our worship. When we realize that any other object of our worship is only a waste of our efforts, it’s so much easier to surrender it all.
 
There are many other things which can be vying for our attention and our worship. Anytime you realize you are worshipping something other than God, there is room for you to surrender that to Him. If you realize you have been worshiping your achievements, surrender them to God. If you realize you have been worshiping a relationship, surrender it to God. If you realize you have been worshipping a job or your plans for the future, surrender it to God – a global pandemic is a great time to practice that!

Practicing surrender is a terrifying thing, but God is good and we can trust Him with our lives. An omniscient and omnipresent God is much more equipped to care for us than we are to care for ourselves. He deserves our true and proper worship.
 
Worship is Reverence
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe”-  Hebrews 12:28

As co-heirs with Christ, we are literally in the process of receiving eternity. This knowledge should fill us with reverence and awe. We get to walk in our inheritance even on this earth. The gratitude and wonder that should fill us is what leads to our worship in reverence and awe.

When we look at Him, our eyes should be filled with splendor. His very holiness is too great for us to comprehend.

Thank you, Lord, for the position You have given us. That Your Holy Spirit fills us and allows us to connect with You on a beautifully deep level. Thank You that You are sovereign and we can trust You with everything. Thank You for Your promises. We come in adoration. We come in reverence of You. We come in surrender. Meet us here. Amen.

Author | Mackenzie Wells