Joy Is Celebrated in Worship

Read 2 Chronicles 35:1-19

Worship. Now there’s a word that means lots of different things to many different people. For some it’s music. And even then, it can mean different kinds of music. For some, it’s slow, even-paced hymns, usually accompanied by piano or organ, that have been sung by believers for decades, even centuries. For others it’s upbeat, loud, enthusiastic praise songs accompanied by guitars, keyboards and drums.

Worship might mean tradition or a Sunday morning routine. A sanctified way of ushering in the start of a new week. Or a spiritual get-together, gathering with friends at a church service, whether the congregation is large or small.

Then there are those who patiently tolerate the music, eagerly waiting for what the pastor has to say in the sermon. They want to hear about what the Word of God says this week.

In reality, worship is – or can be – all those things. And more. Some folks will tell you they worship God in nature. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, the Lord is the one who created it – not “Mother Nature.” A stroll through the woods; a stunning sunrise or sunset; a rainbow after a storm; a star-filled sky; gawking with awe at natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or huge sequoias at a national park. All of those can instill within us a sense of worshipful wonder.

Here’s one you might not have thought of: We can worship God at work. When we use our gifts, talents, skills and experience to perform with excellence on the job, whatever we do, that’s a form of worship. As Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Worship can take many forms, and it can take place in countless places. But the goal of worship should always be the same. Joy. Both joy for God, the object of our praise and adoration, and for us, the beneficiaries of His immeasurable love, grace and mercy.

As Psalm 100 presents the attitude for worship that we should embrace:

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs. 

Know that the Lord is God. 

It is He who made us, and we are His;

we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

There have been times when I became filled with extreme joy during a worship service: Attending church for the first time after open-heart surgery; and years later, after recovering for a different surgery for removal of a benign tumor at the base of my brain. My heart was overflowing with gratitude and joy for being there, for having been a beneficiary of the Lord’s healing powers.

But it doesn’t require an exceptional experience or special event to find joy in worship. The simple fact that through Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice for us on the cross – and then His resurrection – we have been saved and can experience the freedom of new life in Him. That’s more than enough reason to experience and demonstrate joy when we worship the Lord. 

He has adopted us as His children (Ephesians 1:5), and He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, no matter what (Hebrews 13:5). Meditate on those truths the next time you worship, whether it’s in a sanctuary or outdoors. If that doesn’t overwhelm you, try repeating the prayer of King David, when He asked God, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12)