Worship
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name…” Psalm 29:2
Responses must be proportionate. Let me explain. In the TV show The West Wing, President Bartlet must decide on the proper proportional response to a crisis. In his anger, he wanted a disproportionate response. President Bartlet wanted something that was beyond ethical and even legal.
Proportionate response is the idea that force is met with force, limited by reason and morality. Thomas Aquinas deals with this by saying, “The belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil.” Aquinas goes on to say, “It is unlawful to use more force than necessary.” In his thought, there is a right response to an action.
This concept is important in the life of a believer. If an act of aggression deserves contemplation, then surely we should be considering how we respond to absolute truth, beauty, and majesty.
Now, let’s take that concept and apply it to worship. If there is a proper and proportionate response, what would that be in the light of the nature of a transcendent, holy God? Do we have an obligation to rightly respond to the glory, weight, and reality of the King of kings? If we do have a response, what would that response be?
How can you measure a proportionate response to the eternal God? Here in the passage, the psalmist gives us what response we are called to give. We are called to ascribe to God.
In your prayer time, do you ascribe worth to God? How do you respond to the reality of God? James Hastings addresses this by saying, “The true beginning of prayer is adoration. Until we have learned to adore, the other elements of prayer—confession, petition, intercession—will lack depth and power.” Here is the uncomfortable truth, when we are not ascribing worth to God, we are focused on God to respond to our desires. The Christian is primarily focused on God’s desires, submitting their desires to God’s.
Proportionate responses are critical to your life in Christ. To have a prayer life without adoration, without ascribing worth, leads one to be selfish and distant from God, His purposes, and His person. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name!
Responses must be proportionate. Let me explain. In the TV show The West Wing, President Bartlet must decide on the proper proportional response to a crisis. In his anger, he wanted a disproportionate response. President Bartlet wanted something that was beyond ethical and even legal.
Proportionate response is the idea that force is met with force, limited by reason and morality. Thomas Aquinas deals with this by saying, “The belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil.” Aquinas goes on to say, “It is unlawful to use more force than necessary.” In his thought, there is a right response to an action.
This concept is important in the life of a believer. If an act of aggression deserves contemplation, then surely we should be considering how we respond to absolute truth, beauty, and majesty.
Now, let’s take that concept and apply it to worship. If there is a proper and proportionate response, what would that be in the light of the nature of a transcendent, holy God? Do we have an obligation to rightly respond to the glory, weight, and reality of the King of kings? If we do have a response, what would that response be?
How can you measure a proportionate response to the eternal God? Here in the passage, the psalmist gives us what response we are called to give. We are called to ascribe to God.
In your prayer time, do you ascribe worth to God? How do you respond to the reality of God? James Hastings addresses this by saying, “The true beginning of prayer is adoration. Until we have learned to adore, the other elements of prayer—confession, petition, intercession—will lack depth and power.” Here is the uncomfortable truth, when we are not ascribing worth to God, we are focused on God to respond to our desires. The Christian is primarily focused on God’s desires, submitting their desires to God’s.
Proportionate responses are critical to your life in Christ. To have a prayer life without adoration, without ascribing worth, leads one to be selfish and distant from God, His purposes, and His person. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name!
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