A Call to Worship

Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

This verse raises a favourite topic of mine to consider, the topic of worship. The experience of worship intrigues me. Worship is such an essential part of our Christian profession. It should be the passion of our lives. Nothing is more important. I find myself often frustrated that I do not draw from the worship experience as much as I want. I must constantly battle annoying distractions. This frustration only leaves me yearning to try again. I suspect that we will never fully enter into the experience of worship until we reach glory.

In the above verse the Psalmist is having a dialogue with himself. As human beings our Creator has endowed us with the ability of self-reflection. We can actually reflect on ourselves, consider ourselves, pass judgment upon ourselves, and carry on a dialogue with ourselves. Do you ever chide yourself when you do something wrong? I can really chew out Ben Mott. Or do you ever remind yourself to do something? I write notes to myself so that I can remember. All of this is our ability of self-reflection at work. This verse is an example of this marvellous power of self-reflection. The Psalmist is literally talking to himself. He is telling his soul to bless the holy name of the Lord. The word bless is actually in the imperative mood, which suggests that the Psalmist is commanding himself. He is issuing to himself a call to worship. Have you ever called yourself to worship?

Consider the definition of bless as it is used in this verse.

Bless – To call holy; to extol, praise, or adore (God) as holy, worthy of reverence.

To adore God as holy is to worship Him by definition. Now our Psalmist calls upon his soul to bless the Lord with all that is within him. The commentator G. Campbell Morgan had some very arresting comments to make upon this verse. He wrote:

The one value of these opening words is that they show us that worship is not involuntary, automatic. It calls for the co-ordination of all our powers, if it is to be perfect. This truth should arrest us whenever we enter the place of worship. The sanctuary is not a lounge, a place of relaxation. We should enter it with all the powers of personality arrested, arranged, dedicated.

To which I say, “Amen!” Worship is something we should prepare for. We ought to focus all our powers of desire, feeling, thought, and purpose upon the exercise of worship. Worship is something we should look forward to. We should go to church intending to give the worship of God our best. No doubt we will get more out of church worship, if we put more of ourselves into it!

Think about something you really look forward to doing. Maybe it is taking a vacation. Perhaps it is watching or attending a sporting event. Or maybe it is pursuing a relationship. Consider how much you pour yourself into it. Now compare that with how you approach worship. Do you approach worship with as much of yourself invested in it as in other things. If not, then you need to have a talk with yourself. You need to take charge of yourself and command yourself to bless the Lord with all that is within you. I challenge you to issue to yourself a call to worship the Lord. I can call you to worship. But it will be much more effective if you call yourself to it!

I would appreciate it if you would leave a brief comment letting me know that you are receiving these meditations. Thank you.