Daily Devotion

Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotion
Monday, December 8, 2008
Worship Fully #2 by Pastor Rick Snyder

Scripture: Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.


You and I are made for worship. Our Creator designed us with a need to offer our love and praise to Someone greater than ourselves. So St. Augustine put it this way, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” Likewise the Psalmist declares, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1-2).

If we don’t have an intimate relationship with God, we will feel scattered and restless. We may be busy, but bored. We may feel that life doesn’t have meaning or purpose. Rabbi Kushner, who wrote the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, wrote a sequel which puts the point clearly, When Everything You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.

How we can incorporate worship into our daily lives? We can take time to pray and connect with God. We can offer praise for the beauty of creation, for the giggle of a child, for the mystery and wonder of loving and being loved. We can enumerate specific things for which we are thankful. We can sing or listen to worship music. Day by day, then, let us “worship the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2).