Two-Way Street by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

“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.

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[1] Jack Hayford, Majesty: God Enthroned in our Worship, (Southlake: Gateway Press, 2016), 41.