RECOGNITION

Worship is not a passive activity. It is very active. Our mindset during worship is important. As we worship, we should keep our minds focused on God.

Many of the psalms discuss in detail the type of mindset we should have as we worship. One of those psalms is Psalm 100. In it, the psalmist wrote:

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

(Psalm 100:3, NKJV)

As we worship, we should recognize several things about God:

We should recognize His name.

He is "the LORD." In our English Bibles, when LORD is in all caps, it is a translation of God's covenant name, YHWH, the name He gave to Moses. The name is sometimes translated I AM. He is the eternal God who spoke to Moses, the God represented in the Bible.

We should recognize Him as Creator.

The psalmist wrote, "It is He who made us, and not we ourselves." He is our Creator. Everything we are and everything we have comes from God. He gave us the abilities and resources we use to generate wealth and function in society. He gives us each breath we take. He gave us our unique personalities. It all comes from Him, not us.

We should recognize Him as Father.

The psalmist wrote, "We are His people." God is the Father of those who believe in Him through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, without such a relationship with God, we cannot know Him or truly worship Him.

We should recognize Him as our Shepherd.

The psalmist wrote that we are, "the sheep of His pasture." There are many references to God as the shepherd of believers. He leads us, guides us, and cares for us, as a shepherd does for his sheep.

When we worship God with these things in mind, we will draw closer to God.