“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
--Psalm 8:3-4, NIV
Why is God mindful of us? Why were we created? We are so puny compared to the rest of the universe. We are not even equal to a speck of dust compared to the heavens, yet God cares about us. Why? Psalm 8:2 gives us a hint as to why God created us. As a Children’s Pastor, I know that this verse should resonate from not only the children but from myself and my leaders as well. “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.”
When you look up the meaning of “ordained,” you’ll be fascinated by the English meaning of the word. Ordained means, “fixed or established, especially by order or command, to order by virtue of superior authority, to predestine.” Did you catch that? Children have been predestined by God, commanded by God, given the task by God to praise HIM! So, as Children’s Leaders/Parents/Mentors, it is our job to help children fulfill their purpose.
So let me ask you, how are you doing with that? How are you doing in teaching your children to praise and worship their Creator? Too often, praise and worship is seen by children and adults as a time when everyone sings songs to God; but is that really worship? The more I studied what the Bible had to say about worship, the more convicted I became.
We need to begin by looking at Deuteronomy 10:12. “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” As I studied the Scriptures, this verse stuck out to me as a definition of worship. Worship is more than just singing, it’s a way of life. Too often, though, we make the common mistake of confusing our kids by calling our time of singing “Worship Time,” when the rest of the service is also a time of worship. Even our world has gotten it wrong. We now have a style of music called, “Worship Music,” thereby creating more confusion with children and adults alike. They now see worship as a style of music rather than a style of life.
Deuteronomy 10:12 can be broken down this way:
1. “Fear the LORD”…Think of meeting a great and powerful king. You would hold him in such awe and reverence that there might even be a little fear of him. One of the words used for worship in the Bible means to bow down. The world understands that most religions bow down to and worship certain “deities.” What they don’t understand is that there is, in reality, only one God. Therefore, a proper concept of worship must be inseparably tied to the One True God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In our worship, we should have the attitude of bowing before an immense, immeasurable, almighty and awesome King!
2. “Walk in His Ways”…Worship isn’t a Sunday morning activity, but an all-consuming lifestyle. And in order to live lives of worship, we must walk in God’s ways and follow God in everything. In every thought, word, and deed, we must honor and obey God. We know what God requires of us by reading His Word. By obeying God and walking in His ways we are actually worshipping the Lord.
3. “Love Him”… One of the main reasons we go to church and sing songs of praise to God is to show our love and devotion to Him. It is important to express our love to God in song, but there’s more to it than that. When you love someone, how do you express that love? Almost all expressions of love consist of spending time with that person. Therefore, expressing our love for God is not just a once a week event, it needs to be a daily custom. If we love God, we’ll want to know what He has spoken to us through His Word. We’ll also want to talk to Him in prayer on a continual basis.
4. “Serve Him/Others”… Service is probably the most overlooked aspect of worship. Many people don’t even see it as a form of worship. The Bible says differently. In many Scripture passages, the original words for “worship” and “serve” are used interchangeably. In the eyes of the Jewish people, and in the eyes of the New Testament church, serving God was a form of worship. Remember what it says in Romans 12, verse 1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Offering our bodies in spiritual service is an act of worship. We need to have an attitude of the servant.
5. “With ALL Your Heart”… Truly, everything we do should reflect our love for God, but that can only happen if our hearts are truly given over to Him, filled with love for God and driven by a desire to bring Him glory. We should dedicate every day to Him, spending daily time in His Word, communicating to Him in prayer, and singing His praises with thanksgiving. God doesn’t want PART of us. He wants ALL of us, and He’s entitled to that, because after all, He paid for it. Nothing we do for God will have any meaning unless it comes from the heart. What we do matters, but WHY we do it is also important.
Whether we are singing praise to God or ministering to others, we need to maintain a servant’s heart at all times. We should not be coming to church with the attitude that we need to be served. When people say that they’re not being fed, many times it means that they came expecting a different dish and didn’t like what was being served. A true servant comes expecting to serve others and is grateful for what he is served. To be sure, some churches do not serve nutritious messages from God’s Word, and in those cases it is important to look elsewhere. However, if your church is doctrinally sound and faithfully preaches God’s Word, don’t let dissatisfaction with the music alone drive you away. Instead, ask yourself, “Am I willing to serve God with the music anyway?” This concept should be no different to all believers regardless of their age. Children can learn this, and understand it as well.
Worship is not an activity that we participate in; it’s an attitude of the heart that permeates every activity we participate in. We must not be distracted from that. Our personal preferences in music, atmosphere, and our focus on self must not be allowed to hinder our worship. After all, worship of God is the one thing we ALL know we’ve been put here for! So let us all help the Children we love and serve to grow in worship on a daily and correct basis!
