Worship | 10,000 Reasons to Praise Him All Day Long

If you've been following along, we are in week 3 of the Create Truth Art Challenge where we are currently studying Worship and this is the devotional part of it (the Truth Prompt).  You can find the entire lesson, including this devotion and the Creative Prompt, as well as all of the other weekly lessons in the Grace in Color Classroom.  It's FREE to sign up, so head on over so you don't miss a thing.

In week one of the Create Truth Art challenge, we recognized that all glory belongs to Christ and in week two we were reminded of the faithfulness of God in our lives. This week, we are going to take a look at when we should worship Him.

The song that I encourage you to listen to and reflect on this week is 10,000 Reasons by Jonas Myrin and Matt Redmon.

I love the words of this song because they remind me that my first thoughts in the morning and my last thoughts at night should be of God. My praise for Him is an attitude, not an action and in ALL that I do, my heart should focus on the worship of Him.

Take a Listen

Written Lyrics to the Worship Song 10,000 Reasons

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name

The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comes

You're rich in love
And You're slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find

And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore
Forevermore

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name

Perspective

God created us for worship.  And we are always worshiping something. We praise our kids, our husband, our hobbies, our sports teams or colleges. We praise what we love.  We praise what we are passionate about. And we want others to see the value in the things we praise so that they can praise them, too.

C.S. Lewis said: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise does not merely express but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”

Think of the pleasure it give us to praise others. It strengthens relationships and brings joy. How much more satisfaction would we receive if we lived lives that focused on the worship of the only One who truly deserves it? God doesn't command us to praise Him because He is selfish or arrogant. He does it because it brings Him glory, drawing others to that glory so that they may not perish. And in the process, it completes our joy. How awesome is that?

This clip is about seven minutes long and worth the listen. It's a short part of a sermon preached by John Piper about this very thing. He quotes more of that C.S. Lewis passage, and it is SO.GOOD.

Our worship of an all-deserving God is ultimately for His glory and our joy. And it is not an act of will power, but an outpouring of our understanding of who we are in Christ.

John MacArthur says this: “Worship, by the way, is not music. Worship is loving God. Worship is honoring God. Worship is knowing God for who He is, adoring Him, obeying Him, proclaiming Him as a way of life. Music is one way we express that adoration.”

We need to view worship for what it is. If we cherish Christ as gain and become more satisfied in God, our hearts will long to glorify Him. All the time.

Scripture Study

1. Read Romans 12:1-2 as a reminder that offering ourselves as a sacrifice is worship.

2. Take a look at these verses giving examples of when we should worship God: in everyday fellowship (1 Cor 10:31), in God's kindness and His harshness, knowing He is working for our good (Romans 11:22), when God gives but also when He takes away (Job 1:20-21), when he calms your storms (Matthew 14) and when you face the furnace (Daniel 3).

3. Read Psalm 30 and be encouraged that we can worship Him in victory and during the darkest night, and we will be satisfied.

Reflection

We worship what we love the best, and we worship all the time. Are our thoughts on things above? (Col 3:2) Is our praise focused on the One who deserves it? And do we live our entire lives in genuine and authentic worship?

True worship can only flow from a heart that knows Christ and his saving work on the cross. When we know Christ more, we will value God more. When we value Him, we will worship Him. And when we live our lives in worship to Him, others will be drawn to His glory.

AGAIN: An organized list of all of the devotions and creative prompts for the Create Truth Art Challenge can be found in the Grace in Color Classroom.  Feel free to sign up for the FREE challenge at any time.  Create Truth Art is designed so that you can jump in at any time.  Each devotion and art prompt can stand alone.  Of course, the goal is to be in God's Word more and more, so I'd love it you followed along with us each week!  There is, however, no pressure and no stress involved in this fun way to grow closer to God.

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