“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answer and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve.”’” Luke 4:5-8 (reference = Deuteronomy 6:13)
In previous blog posts, we have explored different forms of praise and how to spend time with GOD; this time, we will be exploring why we are to worship GOD with such reverence.
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Psalm 95:1-6
“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1
There is no one quite like GOD Almighty; therefore, the way we acknowledge/view Him is unique. No one else has existed before/outside the realm of chronological time in the eternal sense that He has. Not only has He remained faithful to His promises (in times B.C. and A.D.), but He also laid the plans for our salvation, redemption, and glorification before even the first day of creation.
“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1st Chronicles 29:11
“The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” Psalm 89:11
As Creator of all things, GOD is responsible for all life and matter in the universe. He is the Ruler of all creation, and His sense of order is reflected in the nature and structure of the universe (right down to the subatomic level). As indicated to Job in chapters 38 to 41 of his book, He is in control over all things great and small.
“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him — his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:4-5
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2nd Chronicles 1:3-4
Through Jesus and His Holy Spirit, GOD has revealed Himself to the world and been the ultimate source of strength and comfort to those who follow Him. There are accounts beyond number in which He graciously works miracles, paying special attention to those who cannot defend/provide for themselves. In calling us to follow the example of Jesus, He gives us love and compassion that we are to pour out to a lost and dying world - giving us a gift that is fulfilled when it is passed on in accordance with the will/nature of the Giver.
“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36
Given all that GOD has done and still does, how can we do any less than praise Him? The next time we consider/are asked about why we worship GOD, we can respond (although it is not proper English, LOL) with the question “How can we NOT praise GOD?”