Summer of Psalms

In this series, Summer of Psalms, we want to discover practical ways to worship.

What is Worship, beyond singing songs?

Worship is a choice.

It’s saying Yes and saying No:

1 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Here it talks about 3 postures: Walking, standing, sitting.

As far as I understand the meaning of these words in that context it means the following:

Walking is „practise, or repeated actions, customs“
Standing means „to remain in certain processes”
Sitting is „getting position and identity from something and someone”

So Worship is the descision to say No to wrong customs: Often times an unhealty culture comes from the wrong influences. What do I watch? What do I read? Where do I get my opinion from? It’s a good question to take a step back and think: Where am I walking in bad counsel? Where am I listening repeatedly to wrong voices?
Worship is also the decision to Say No to remain in wrong processes: If I am exposing myself to situations that have to end sinful, that’s when I’m standing in the way of sin. If you open that Webpage… Sin will hit you. If you chat with coworker and you know she hates that other girl, and you mention that other girl…. Sin will hit you! If you where honest, you would have known, it would happen. So maybe it is a good question to reflect: Where am I standing in the way of sinners?
Worship is also the decision to say No to sitting with scoffers: Jesus never elevated himself by lowering others. And this is what mockery is. Sometimes it’s disguised really empathic! „Ah! This or that person really needs help! …” So maybe it is a good question to reflect right now: Is there a place I get my position from lowering others?

Ultimately, worship can’t be just to say No. We have to say yes to something.

It is the Yes to the voice of God through His word, that is able to replace those three things!

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

So instead of getting my culture from the world, I culture myself from the word. Instead of standing in the way of Sinners, I stand in the way of the Word, and God will meet me. Instead of sitting with scoffers, I am seated in heavenly places and from that posture I don’t fight anymore for recognition. The bible describes the outcome of that like this:

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

Set yourself up for a place of vitality, and growth and being alive: Root yourself into the word. You know what I love about this verse? It’s that part: it’s fruit in its season! Some seasons require patience, other seasons require joy, because joy is scarce.

Some season require goodness, or self-control, because you have opportunities not to be good and self controlled.

In Galatians 5:22-23 it says:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

you know how you will bring your the right fruit in the right season? Letting the spirit guiding you in reading, listening to the active, living word of God for you. Say Yes to the word.

Well what’s the alternative? If I do walk in the way of the wicked, If I do sit with the scoffers, I do stand in the way of sinners?

4 The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Questions for this week:

– where do I see repeated actions or customs that are unhealthy?

– where do I see ways that always seem to end the same, bad way?

– are there moments I get my position from lowering others?

– How do I want to grow my Yes to Gods word this week?

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