Serve the Lord
Serve the LORD with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Introducing a Change in Weekend Daily Reflections:
Starting yesterday, I began to try something new in my Daily Reflections. During the week, I’ll continue to work passage by passage through a book of the Bible. But on Saturday and Sunday, I’ll base my reflections on a Psalm. This will allow for some thematic variation, while still taking us systematically through different biblical books. More importantly, it will allow us to dig deeply into the Psalms, the Spirit-inspired instruction book for prayer. As we work through the whole Psalter, two chapters each weekend, I pray that your relationship with God will become deeper, truer, and more vital.
Reflection on Psalm 2
Though most of us are not kings or earthly rulers, nevertheless Psalm 2 speaks directly to us. It calls us to “serve the Lord with reverent fear.” We are to offer our whole life to God, not just the “religious” parts. We serve God by serving others at work, in our families, in our communities, as well as in our churches. Our service results from our reverent fear. We aren’t afraid of God, serving to assuage his wrath. Rather, overwhelmed by God’s majesty and mercy, we offer our whole lives to him as an act of continual worship.
Such service is not burdensome, but joyful, because it is a response to God’s grace and love. Yet, even in our rejoicing we tremble, aware that our loving Father is not some nice little god, but a consuming fire and the all-powerful creator of heaven and earth.
When we serve the Lord with our lives, we often discover a new joy in living. This joy comes from seeing God use us for his purposes, and from realizing that our lives really matter.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: In what ways do you serve the Lord? How do you hold together the fear of the Lord and the joy of the Lord? Are there ways you can grow in your service to God?
PRAYER: Lord, in some contexts I find it natural to serve you . . . when I’m at church, or teaching your truth, or praying for someone in need. Yet, I must confess there are times when I just don’t see my life as an offering for you. I have bought into the sacred/secular divide, where service to you happens in church or mission work, but not in daily life. Forgive me, Lord. Help me to see my whole live as one continuous act of service to you.
As I serve you, may I do so with joy, remembering all that you have done for me. May my servanthood be an offering of gratitude to you, gratitude mixed with celebration.
In my service and in my rejoicing, may I remember who you are, not only my Savior and friend, but also a holy God, a God whose power is beyond my comprehension, a God who deserves my full allegiance and worship. Amen.
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