Advent Reflection: 11th December - Matt Redman

Every day this Advent we will be sharing reflections from Christian authors. Today's is by Matt Redman.

All Glory

We enter your gates with thanksgiving

And with thanksgiving

We enter your gates

Whenever we come to God in worship or in prayer, it’s tempting to begin with petition, with asking God for what we need. But when we look at how the psalmists worshiped, they often began with thanksgiving and praise, not petition. As Psalm 100 declares, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

The emphasis the psalmist gives on how we enter the gates—with thanksgiving and praise— proves that our attitude in worship is important to pay attention to. Simply entering his gates is one thing, but how we enter them is another. Are we coming just out of duty, or instead with a heart full of thanksgiving?

This is the sound of the forgiven

A song of freedom

O Jesus, on and on your name resounds

Some of the richest moments of congregational worship happen when people enter His gates with the overflow of what’s already happening in their lives, with gratitude for what He has done.

All glory to the Father

All glory to the Son

All glory to the Spirit

In addition to our attitude during worship, we must also be aware of whom we are worshiping: the triune God. We worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We worship the Father who is above all. We worship Jesus who reconciled us to our Father by his blood. And we worship the Holy Spirit whom Jesus left to guide us as we navigate this life. And every time we worship, we go with Jesus, and in Jesus, and through Jesus - to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Every time we approach the throne of God, we are caught up in this beautiful mystery.

When we assume a true attitude of worship, we put ourselves in our proper place, and we put God in His. It is only through this practice that we remember He is God and we are not. That He sits on His throne this day and all of the days after. This is not only humbling, but hopeful. For if God is on the throne, and not us, we can be far more sure that things are under control. Worship therefore is not only honoring to God, but it is also beneficial for us. It can be the very best antidote to fear and anxiety - pulling us out of the dark places and setting our feet back on solid ground. For every time we praise God for His strength, in the same moment we preach ourselves into a sense of security. Worshipping God is good for you!

Taken from Glory Song Devotional by Matt Redman. His latest album, Glory Song, is avaliable to order today.

As the writer of many of the most popular worship songs like “Blessed Be Your Name,” “The Heart Of Worship,” and “Better Is One Day,” Matt Redman’s songs are sung by millions of people every Sunday all around the world. His hit “10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)” spent 19 weeks at No. 1 while selling over 1 million tracks. The song also garnered two GRAMMY® Awards, a Billboard Music Award and was named ASCAP’s Christian Music Song of the Year.