Considering God

The most remarkable description of worship that I’ve found is in a book you might not be aware of, Because We Love Him: Embracing a Life of Holiness. This devotional work was written by Clyde Cranford, a West Memphis, Arkansas, worship leader and a mentor to young men.

The author defined worship as “a humble preoccupation with God.”

Think about that account of worship for a moment.

We long for that, don’t we? You and I want to course through the ups and downs of the day, the busyness and the quiet too, with God occupying many of our thoughts. I’m guessing you’ve experienced days like that when you were accompanied by a sweet sense of the nearness of the Lord – ordinary days that became times of worship.

Clyde went on to say, “Truly to worship God is to be so focused on Him and so fascinated with Him that we forget about ourselves, ‘lost in wonder, love, and praise.’”

That fascination that Clyde mentioned is the fruit of taking time to focus on God. When you and I neglect the things of God, we’re easily distracted, and God gradually becomes less impressive. We fail to see Him as He truly is.

To regain accurate views of our God, we need repeated reminders of who He is. We need to frequently spend time in the Bible, determined to encounter soul-refreshing sights of Almighty God, those stunning portraits of God: the creator, the redeemer, the healer, the eternal hope – the list goes on. As we see our God as He is pictured in Scripture, the Spirit can renew our hearts to truly worship Him.

Consider the greatness of God.

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

Matthew Henry (1662–1714), best known for his verse-by-verse commentary on the Bible, pictured God this way when he wrote about Exodus 3:14. The English minister noted that the verse above signifies:

That [God] is self-existent: He has his being of himself.
That He is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
That He is incomprehensible; we cannot by searching find Him out: this name checks all bold and curious inquiries concerning God.
That He is faithful and true to all His promises, unchangeable in His word as well as in His nature.

Another way we can consider this greatness is by reflecting on these portraits of God from the prophet Isaiah:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,

And marked off the heavens by the span,

And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,

And weighed the mountains in a balance

And the hills in a pair of scales (Isaiah 40:12)?

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;

Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust (Isaiah 40:15).

Meanwhile, David presents a view of God that helps us appreciate the magnificence of this true and living God:

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11).

Not only is this King great – far beyond what we can imagine – but He is good too.

Consider the goodness of God.

Scripture uses many instances to remind us of His goodness; a few of them are as follows:

Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness (Psalm 145:6-7).

O taste and see that the LORD is good;

How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him (Psalm 34:8)!

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Consider the meaning of the cross.

Finally, the most important thing we can do is to remember the cross and what He has done for us.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18).

By taking these steps and focusing our attention on Him, we can daily consider the powerful God that we serve.

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