For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you. – From Psalm 33

Much to my chagrin, I’ve made a reputation for myself of being a documenter. That’s someone, by definition, who “supports (an assertion or claim, for example) with evidence or decisive information”.  Although journaling, note-taking and blogging are ways I document, it’s usually most evident in my picture-taking.

It’s hard for me to be “in the moment” without my camera. Taking in the faces of people I love, or the beauty of this world, or a unique situation before me all scream to be documented. I try to comply.

When Justin Wredberg took the pulpit this week at Movement Church, in our pastor’s absence, he brought to clarity that call in me to document. Using the text of Psalm 33 (podcast here), he taught how God wired us for praise. In fact, praise makes our joy complete as we share that person or thing we find praiseworthy.

God calls us to worship not because He has some need for our praise but, in praising Him, we “document”, in a way, his love, beauty, and provision. We document who he is, in our singing, and prayers, our giving, and testimony of Him and his greatness in our lives and in this world…sometimes in the quietness of our thoughts, but ultimately in our sharing God with others…

Like me with a camera…or my journal…or this blog…I can’t help but point out that which is noteworthy…the stuff that has made me stop in my tracks…and then want to turn to you and say, “Look…wow!”

That’s what the Psalmist does in Scripture…he’s a documenter…and that’s what we do in worship.