1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
How do we engage the senses when we worship God? In the sanctuary at PRUMC, we see the brilliant light from the stained glass window. We hear the music of the choir, organ and other instruments. We can touch one another as we shake hands and hug at the passing of the peace. Perhaps we get close enough to the flowers to smell their fragrance. We taste when we partake of Holy Communion.
God calls us to worship using all our senses. Yet it is not merely about worship. Perhaps we are called to serve with all the senses. There are people who are lonely, maybe they need a friendly handshake and someone simply to acknowledge their presence. Some people need to share something or get something off of their chest; maybe we should spend more time listening than talking. Some people are hungry; maybe we offer a stranger food.
Whether we are worshipping God in a beautiful sanctuary or talking with a co-worker, we are called to be intentional about being God's servants. We should not simply use our minds and our mouths, but we should strive to do good. This involves more than just willing something to happen. Let us make all of our selves available to serve God and take refuge in the LORD.
Pray Psalm 34.
