Ascend: An 11-Day Devotional With Red Rocks WorshipSample

ONLY YOU ARE HOLY

“Only You are Holy” is a song that is entirely directed to God the Father. In Psalm 100:4 we learn what God’s preference is when we bring our exaltation to him in worship. The psalmist writes, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” This short psalm hits heavy, containing a crucial instruction for how to be people of praise.

There is a marked change in the corporate worship atmosphere when the Bride of Christ wholeheartedly sings together, welcoming their King, and enthroning him with praise. This is the key that unlocks so much about life with God: when we praise, miracles start to break out. But here is the tension we sit in—we do not worship the miracle, we worship the miracle-maker. When God moves, it always brings glory to his name. This calls to mind the nation of Israel when God commanded them to praise as they circled the city of Jericho. Joshua 6 gives us a testimony of how the vertical praise of God’s people changed things on the earth. They sang, they shouted, and they played their instruments. They went through the gates and into the courts of God with their worship, and on the seventh day the King of Glory entered and brought the walls of that city to the ground. This is the kind of song one would imagine the people of God singing together as they marched. You can almost picture them singing, “All blessing and honor, glory and power forever and ever. Glory to God in the highest.”

Wherever you are in life or whatever your “Jericho” is, the reality is that anything can happen in the presence of God. So, instead of repeating anxious, fearful prayers, try going through the gates with praise and thanksgiving. The walls don’t seem as high and the giants don’t seem as tall when you’re in the courts of God. Start to bless the Lord, praise his name, and then just watch and see what he does.

1. Are there things in your life where you still need a breakthrough? What if you took account of them right now and instead of praying over them, start worshiping the Lord as a faithful, good God. Turn your attention away from the “Jericho” you are marching around, and put it on the only One who is worthy.
2. What do you feel when you choose to give him 100% of the attention from your heart and mind?

VIDEO BLURB: In Psalm 100:4 we learn what God’s preference is when we bring our exaltation to him in worship. The psalmist writes, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” This short psalm hits heavy, containing a crucial instruction for how to be people of praise. You can feel the atmosphere shift when the Church wholeheartedly brings their worship, welcoming their King, and enthroning him with praise. This is the key that unlocks so much about life with God: when we praise, everything else follows.