Psalm 95:1-2; 6-8
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of or salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… NIV
There’s a beautiful progression there that brings us into the immediate presence of God. It starts with loud and jubilant praise and thanksgiving: “Let us sing for joy to the LORD, let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.” God encourages us to express freely our praises, our thanksgiving. But then as we go further it says, “Let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Praise and thanksgiving lead us on to worship. Worship is not so much an utterance as it is an attitude. It’s bowing down, it’s kneeling, it’s submitting ourselves to God. And when we come into that attitude of worship, then we qualify to hear God’s voice.
And so the psalmist says, “Today, if you hear his voice.” Alas, there are so many Christians and churchgoers who hardly know what it is to hear God’s voice, and yet that’s the key to all success in the spiritual life – is hearing God’s voice. And if we’ll follow the pathway of praise and thanksgiving leading us to worship, bringing us to an attitude where we can hear God’s voice, then we have the key to measureless blessings.
- Derek Prince
