Come and Worship (from "Angels from the Realms of Glory")

By Agnes Tan
Singapore

“Come and worship, Come and worship; Worship Christ, the newborn King”

Psalm 29:1-2

Honour the LORD, you heavenly beings;
honour the LORD for his glory and strength.                   
Honour the LORD for the glory of his name.
Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.

A heart of worship starts with admiring God. God desires of us to know him, love him, & respect him. Worship is about choosing to praise God & trust Him regardless of our circumstances because we know Him & we know that He is sovereign, loving & by our side.

1) Grieving heart

Over the last 2 years, all of us have felt the impact of Covid. For me I felt bombarded with one challenging event after another, not least of which was a diagnosis of cancer.

March 2021: Cancer presented as a tender bump in the sternum bone. 25 sessions of radiotherapy eradicated the localised tumour.

July 2021: Sadly, further tests showed there was spread of cancer to the hip bones – diagnosis is Multiple Myeloma.

I grieved the loss of health. Chemotherapy came with side effects including rashes, weight gain, puffy face, blurred vision, emotional irritability, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue.

Jan 2022: Chemotherapy made me lose hair in clumps. It was emotionally very distressing. So my husband and daughter helped to shave off whatever hair remained, saving me emotional distress, shampoo and showering time J

So how do you have a heart to worship when you are grieving? I was struggling.

Psalms helped put into words those emotions I tried to grapple with on my own. A majority of the psalms contain some kind of lament. Lament psalms are primarily expressions of sorrow, exploring the deep recesses of a person’s pain.

Psalm 56:8 helped me feel so loved by God, & to have a heart of worship while grieving.

Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows; You have collected all my tears in your bottle; You have recorded each one in your book

Psalm 77                                                                                                               
I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!
When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.      
I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.                                You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray!

When I was too sick, sad, scared or stressed to pray, I would go to Psalms.

Psalm 16:1 Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge

I took to colouring the Psalm as a form of worship to God. A dear friend gave me a Psalms colouring book which I love. There are well-documented benefits of Colouring for adults.

Going to Psalms in times of grieving really helped me.

Psalm 147: 3 He heals the brokenhearted; And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow]

Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

2) Grateful Heart

Through my cancer journey, I have become more reflective about life and relationships.

And very grateful for each new day. Seeing God’s creation helps prepare my heart for worship. I am especially grateful for sunrise & sunsets.

There are many Psalms which comment on the greatness of God, as creator of all things and the majestic results of His handiwork. The Nature psalms usually point to the creation as a witness of God’s wisdom, greatness & power. God’s creation help me worship God as it is a reminder of hope in Him.

Psalm 89:6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Dark clouds – that was how I felt on some days, maybe sad, or scared of the future.

Many times God gave beautiful sky to encourage me, & to give me hope.

Psalm 5:11-12 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield. 

Psalm 104:1-3 Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honour and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind.

Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armour and protection 

Psalm 23: 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Psalm 66:1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

Psalm 8:1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands

Some words that describe the last 2 years of my life: Eventful, but also very Grateful, Thankful and Blessed.

March 2022: I was hospitalised for 17 days. My room had a view of the sunrise - God knows my need. I had a stem cell transplant, where the immune system was basically rebooted and my body given the chance to be healthier. Currently the cancer is under control and I’m on maintenance treatment for this incurable, but praise God, treatable cancer. God is indeed good!

In this season, whether we have a grieving or grateful heart, God desires of us to come and worship Him & His son Jesus.

“Come and worship, Come and worship; Worship Christ, the newborn King”

Reflection questions:

1)      How do you worship God - share some of your favourite ways.

2)      Write down the losses in your life you grieve over. Pray through them

3)      Write down some things in your life you are grateful for. Pray through them

4)      List down some new and refreshing ways you could try in your worship of God this season eg colouring Scripture, worship in nature, worship through the Psalms, singing out to God, etc

Today I will:

Spend some time to worship God by praying through the Scriptures in this devo.

About the Author

Agnes Tan was baptized in the London church in 1985 while a medical student at UCL. She has been a member of the ICOC churches in London, Singapore, Jakarta, Mumbai, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and now lives in Singapore. She and her husband are back serving in the fulltime ministry the last 3 years. They are blessed to be first-time grandparents recently to an adorable baby girl.

To hear a special version of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" sung by your sister Amy Kinzer, please click the image below: