Reasons I Worship the Lord - Part 3

(This is the concluding part of a three-part essay on why I worship the Lord Jesus Christ, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and is the Most High God, seated 'far above all' in heaven, enthroned at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.)

21. I thank the Lord for His infinite wisdom. His ways are unsearchable, unfathomable, Rom 11.33. There is earthly wisdom, there is heavenly wisdom. Jas 3.15, 17. There is the wisdom of this world which is foolishness with God. But, praise God, there is divine wisdom which God gives the smallest child of His. Oh, yes, His thoughts and His ways are far higher than ours, Isa 55.8, 9.

22. I thank the Lord for His power. All power belongs to Him. He is the Sovereign and Almighty God. And how is His power revealed? With His little finger. With the jawbone of an ass, He slays thousands. With weak and simple instruments He pulls down mighty kings. One angel of His can destroy an army of 185,000.

23. I worship the Lord for His majestic creation. Oh, the vastness and variety of it. The stars in the night sky, the flowers in the field, the hills and the valleys, the birds and the beasts, fruits in the trees, the glorious mountain ranges and the awesome sea. Reading Genesis 1, we see the fruitfulness, the super-abundance, of God. (And as our Redeemer, how He has lavished the riches of His grace upon us!)

24. I worship the Lord for His tenderness. He is the God who wipes away our tears. He has a heart -- a mother's heart, a Father's heart. He has kept a guardian angel for each little child. I believe every aborted infant will be seen in heaven, no matter what the Calvinists say. (Spurgeon and I are in agreement on this.) There are words in the Bible like 'compassion' and 'lovingkindness' -- which I feel ought to be reserved for God alone. His gentleness makes us great.

25. I worship God because He is love. There is love in the family; there is romantic love, conjugal love; there is love among friends; there is agape or spiritual love. The Greeks had a broader understanding of love than we. Our love is selfish, sentimental and sugary. God's love is robust. It is that love that binds families and friends and couples together. But the greatest love is agape love, the unselfish, selfless love of God.

26. I worship God for the power of resurrection. There have been times when I thought it was all over -- the end has come! But with every deep crisis (or death, as it were), there has been a resurrection. Somehow God comes in; He raises me up. And with this power of resurrection (repeated experiences of death & resurrection), He has brought me to 'higher ground'. There is what I call 'spiritual ascendancy'.

27. I thank God for the joy He has given me. When we are born again, we receive 'joy unspeakable and full of glory'. The joy of the Lord is our strength, Neh 8.10b. Even in troubled times, we can experience that deep bubbling joy and satisfaction within. He is there -- as the spring of life, the river of life -- deep in my heart.

28. I thank God for His peace. The peace that passes all understanding. I keep thinking of Peter sleeping in prison, though chained to two soldiers; the picture in Acts 12 is a picture of God's 'perfect peace', granted to those whose minds are stayed on Him, Isaiah 26:3.  God wants this peace to rule in our hearts, Col 3:15. He says, My peace I give unto you. His peace is like a fortress. Sometimes, even if you want to worry, you can't!

29. I thank God for the 'fear of God'. This is something most Christians learn very late in life. We need this fear, this holy reverence. I will not grieve my God. The fear of God acts as a check within. You cannot drive a car without brakes; you need a 'regulator' within. That's why the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God (along with God's grace) is the way to obedience.

30a. I thank God for His Name. His Name is a mighty weapon. We can bind the powers of darkness in the mighty Name of Jesus. We can rebuke the enemy in the Name of Jesus. What power and what authority there is in the Name of Jesus. (Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.)

30b. I thank God too for the victory of Calvary. Oh, the power of the shed Blood. Satan fears the Blood. They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, Rev 12.11.

(May this hub and the other hubs be a blessing to God's children, and may we learn to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, by living humble, ardent and holy lives.)

© Roland N Oliver/Pratonix