Tag : restoration
Tag : restoration
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”
(Psalm 105:1, NIV)
I love worshipping God. Every morning, after I brew a cup of coffee, I sing along with my favorite worship tunes on YouTube and start my quiet time by entering the presence of God through praise.
But for many years I thought worship was a one-way street. I was a dot on the map in God’s world—worshipping Him for giving me life, salvation and for helping me overcome childhood dysfunction. I am truly grateful. However, in my study of respected Pentecostal Leader, Jack Hayford, who is also the founder of my school, The King’s University, I have discovered that worship is a two-way street.
When we enter a place of worship, Hayford says that God gives us kingdom authority and gifts in his presence. In his book Majesty, He says, God has given worship as a means for man’s:
Recovery
Restoration
Reviving
Redemption
Refreshing[1]
I have a spiritual daughter and her two boys are my godchildren. When they come over to the house, I always have a little gift for them and they expect it. They come into the house and the first thing they ask is: “Lele, do you have a present for us?” And my answer is always yes. In the same way, when we enter God’s presence through worship, he has beautiful gifts waiting for us in his presence as well because He loves us so much. We should expect it!
David understood the power of worship and this concept of receiving kingdom authority. We see evidence of this in Psalm 103 where he says, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” (Psalm 103: 1–6, NIV).
David confirms that worship is a two-way street. God blesses us when we bless him.
So today, if you are not already doing this, will you consider daily worship? God has some presents waiting for you at His house.
[1] Jack Hayford, Majesty: God Enthroned in our Worship, (Southlake: Gateway Press, 2016), 41.
Categories: Blog
What kind of worshiper are you?
Ten years ago I was embarrassed to raise even one hand in church during a powerful hymn or worship song, but today I lift my hands as high as they can go in all-out praise. Psalm 63:4 says “So I will bless You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in Your name.”
So why are some of us timid about praising God?
I think the Holy Spirit refines us and shows us where we can improve. We are all in a different place on the journey. He is the One who can draw us out of half-hearted praise into a more vibrant worship life.
Just recently, my eyes were opened to the fact that worship may not be one-directional. I used to think it was only about humbly showing Jesus or God praise for His greatness and goodness. However, longtime pastor Jack Hayford, in his book Majesty: God Enthroned in Our Worship, believes worshipping God results in benefits for us as well. He thinks in the midst of worship, we can receive recovery, restoration, reviving, redemption and refreshing.[1]
So when we worship God it opens up a flow of gifts from God back to us—it’s biblical.
When Jehoshaphat and his army faced their enemies. They came into battle praising, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his loving devotion endures forever.” In the midst of their adoration, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who had come against Judah and they were defeated.
When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they prayed and sang hymns to God. While they were worshipping, “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose” (Acts 16:26, NIV).
Why can’t our emotional chains also fall off when we worship?
The Israelites learned that praise was the key to success. “Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span” (Exodus 23:25, NIV).
So if you’re a little shy about an all–out display of worship, maybe you’ll reconsider.
Psalm 22:23 says God inhabits the praises of His people. The more we open up a heart of praise, the more room there is for Him to work in our lives.
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-11)
[1] Jack Hayford, Majesty: God Enthroned in our Worship (Southlake: Gateway Press, 2016), 41.
Categories: Blog