worship & meditation

I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalm 119:48

There are two places the rich and rewarding truths of God’s Word fill up our lives described in this verse. We see the sufficiency of scripture and the transcendence of God’s Word described. And what was true of this hymn to scripture in ancient Israel is powerfully still very true today.

Scripture fills our worship. As the psalmist worships, lifting hands in praise, the posture of worship is directed toward God’s commandments. It is God’s Word that motivates to worship. It is holy truth that turns hands toward holy worship of God’s holy Word. It is love for God’s own commandments that moves the heart to praise. We must worship in, by, because of, and in response to God’s Word speaking to us. The Word of God should be a major part of our liturgy, in fact, we cannot truly worship without it. God must speak and we must respond. God’s Word is our true worship leader.

Scripture fills our thinking. This too is a kind of worship that continues even when we leave the congregation. We meditate on God’s Word. Unlike the worthless practice of eastern mysticism that says meditations means emptying our minds (an impossibility), biblical meditation is about filling our minds.We fill our thinking with scripture. That means repeated reading of God’s Word… word by word… exploring its depths. It means singing God’s Word, in wonder, praise, and rich personal connection. It means memorizing scripture so that hidden in our hearts are the very thoughts of God Himself, ready to guide us at the Spirit of God’s bidding.

Loving the Lord, and loving His Word, means we commit to worship by the book. It means we commit to meditation on God’s truth. It means we dive deep, personally, productively, emotionally, and spiritually, into a treasure store of truth for all of our lives… truth that carries us confidently, and worshipfully, always to our eternal God forever.