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One of the pivotal ideas that many followers of Jesus get a little cloudy on is the the matter of worship. What does it mean to worship God?

I think we often somehow turn it around to be something for our enjoyment. I’m not suggesting that we should not enjoy worshiping, but that’s never been the heart of the matter. It is about taking time to reflect on God—His character, His deeds, His promises.

But when we do this, when we really consider who God is and how great He is, it does something in us. It most always stirs a sobering realization in contrast. When you stand in awe of God, you can’t help but see yourself more clearly.

One of the most powerful illustrations of this reality in Scripture is in the book of Isaiah as the prophet shares a vision he was given of the throne room of God. He describes the strange winged beings proclaiming over and over the wonders of God:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Isaiah 6.3

Isaiah talks about the power of this moment and as he is taken back by the power of the presence of God, he sees himself in a more stark light. Imagine getting dressed up in what you thought was a clean white shirt or dress that looked fine in the light of your room but walking out into the sunlight and realizing how drab and stained your garment is… and multiply that by a million.

Isaiah’s reaction is recorded:

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Isaiah 6.5

Do you see it?

Isaiah is responding in the only way that makes any sense to the stark and glorious holiness of our God.

The song I want to urge you to listen to today is one of those moments of wonder and reflection on the greatness of God and the sensible response in questioning who we are in the light of God’s holiness. It is a really beautiful worship song that I suspect many have never heard.

In the two verses we see two different considerations of God’s wonder—His works and His Word. The chorus is a sort of stand back in sober recognition kind of moment:

Because I’ll never hold a picture
Of the whole horizon in my view
Because I’ll never rip the night two
It makes me wonder
Who am I, who am I, who am I
And great are You

This beautiful song is worth a listen (maybe even 2 or 3 times) and I hope you will give it time to sink in. But please don’t miss the sweet simplicity of it and the great example of worship—sitting in the presence of God and recognizing our need in the light of His holiness.

Great Are You by Downhere

Father, overwhelm us in wonder of who You are and help us see ourselves in the true light of Your holiness.

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If you enjoy these musical devotional posts, let me know in the comments and feel free to suggest a song that speaks to you in a significant way.