Deeper in WorshipSample

Day 16—Worship includes instruments and dancing

Devotional
How amazing it is that God doesn’t demand you to worship exactly the same as anyone else? Psalm 150 (NIV) calls for all people to praise God for his "surpassing greatness." It is something of a rallying call for noise, movement, celebration, variety, and extravagance. King David wants no one to miss out on the chance to praise God. In fact, the only requirement needed to get an invite? Breath in your lungs! (Psalm 150:6 NIV) Whatever your "thing" is, you can use it to worship God. Maybe you’re not the best singer, but you love to play an instrument. Maybe you’re not musical but love to dance. Maybe you can’t dance, but love to paint. Or maybe you don’t feel creative at all, but you can just make some noise…guess what? The clanging cymbal praises God, too! Although not explicitly stated, there seems to be the assumption that when we capture the majesty of God, we can’t help but get loud and praise Him. King David famously danced "with all his might" before the presence of God (2 Samuel 6:12-15 NIV). And when challenged about it by his wife, David’s response is incredible: "I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." Your worship might make you look ridiculous to others; it might even be embarrassing, but when you really know how amazing God is, you can start to unashamedly worship God with extravagance.

Pray
Father, don’t let my self-consciousness or a fear of man stop me from worshipping You with the extravagance and praise that You deserve. Amen.

Application
Find a way you like to express yourself (music, art, song, dance, banging pots, etc.) and do it boldly and passionately. If you start to feel embarrassed, press in and keep worshipping beyond your self-consciousness!

Sam Johnson