{HSCRC13} Hymn #4, Worthy of Worship

Hymn Challenge #4: Worthy of Worship
Words Written by: Dr. Terry W. York
b. 1949; d. —

Dr. Terry W. York has published more than 40 hymns and more than 60 choral anthem texts. Wow, truly a modern-day hymn writer. He is currently a professor at Baylor in Waco, TX. You can read more about him on his Baylor faculty page by clicking here.

Yes, we are doing something a little different this week. We are studying a hymn that has been more recently written (in 1988), and the author is still living. I chose this hymn because God has brought it to my mind many times since last Sunday—we sung it in BSF Monday night, we will sing it in worship today (my friend is giving the sermon so she told me it's one of our hymns today). It truly has been on my mind, and I hope you enjoy today's choice.

Let's read through the lyrics:

Worthy of worship, worthy of praise, 

Worthy of honor and glory; 

Worthy of all the glad songs we sing, 

Worthy of all the offerings we bring. 

Refrain

You are worthy, Father, Creator. 

You are worthy, Savior, Sustainer. 

You are worthy, worthy and wonderful; 

Worthy of worship and praise. 

Worthy of rev'rence, worthy of fear, 

Worthy of love and devotion; 

Worthy of bowing and bending of knees, 

Worthy of all this and added to these. 

Almighty Father, Master and Lord, 

King of all kings and Redeemer, 

Wonderful Counselor, Comforter, Friend, 

Savior and Source of our life without end. 

God is worthy of our worship—worthy meaning "deserving," and worship meaning "reverent honor." He is deserving of our reverent honor! Let's look at who God is and why He is deserving of our reverent honor.

—Creator—

He created us to have a relationship with Him and to bring Him glory. Even in the smallest of details, He created us. We are created for eternal fellowship with Him. We are created to worship Him. In Him, we are a new creation in Christ.

Psalm 100:3 "Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture."

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

—Savior—

Jesus, our Savior, rescued us from the penalty of sin (see Redeemer below).

Luke 2:11 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord."

2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever!"

—Sustainer—

He sustains and upholds everything in existence. We are here today because He has something for us. Will you be watching for what He has for you today?

Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me."

—Almighty Father—

He is without end, and He is God our Father. Even if you did not have a loving earthly father, you do have an amazing heavenly Father, and you are His child!

2 Corinthians 6:18 "'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."

1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

—Master and Lord—
He has power over life and death, and as our Master, we are called to obey Him in all things. How will you obey Him today even in the small, seemingly insignificant things?

Psalm 145:3 "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom."

Romans 10:9 "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

—King of all kings—

He has supreme power and is sovereign over all rulers, kings, presidents, etc.

1 Chronicles 16:25 "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods."

1 Timothy 6:15-16 "which God will bring about in His own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen."

Revelation 19:16 "On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords."

—Redeemer—

Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so that we might be "made right" and come before the Father. Jesus paid that price with His precious blood so that we could be set free from sin and to grow more like Him. He was not guilty yet He suffered for my sin and for your sin! Will you thank Him for His gift of salvation today?

Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

1 John 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

—Wonderful Counselor—

He is exceptional, and He is the one who gives the right advice. Are you going to friends, family, co-workers for advice? How about choosing to seek His wise counsel today? He is waiting to give you just the right advice!

Isaiah 9:6b "And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

—Comforter—

He will give us comfort and strength through the difficult times of our lives. He is waiting to hold you, sustain you, and give you His peace. Will you go to Him?

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble. . .”

—Friend—

He made the universe yet He still speaks to us as a friend. How amazing and loving is that? It's incomprehensible!

Exodus 33:11 "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend."

Below you will find the sheet music to this hymn, and click here to hear this hymn.

Whatever good or bad may happen, whatever skills you have, no matter how much laundry is waiting in the laundry room or how many guests are coming over to dinner, He is always worthy of our worship! The glory is all His. And how about praying these attributes back to God as you begin your prayer time each day.

For my 6x6 page today, I used the Psalm 145:3 verse noted above. I thought it was perfect for this hymn and a great reminder that He is worthy of my praise in all things everyday. I also used the November 2012 sketch from C'est Magnifique. I then used the king of club playing card to denote God as King, and that He is worthy of my worship all of the time (thus the clock face on the layout too). The butterfly comes from the Icon Set One from Blue Fern Studios, and the hymn was printed on a brown paper bag and then put on a Teresa Collins memories file folder.

Papers: Basic Grey Lucille 
Embellishments: Blue Fern Studios icon set one butterfly (painted white gesso and glass micro beads); Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails mini doily die; Teresa Collins memories file folder; Tim Holtz mini paper clip; Jolee's card deck; Zva Creative pearl flourishes; Prima Miss Godivas Celadon flowers, Coventry Tranquil flowers, and Junk Yard Findings clock; white flowers and leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts; sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC13 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Thanks for joining me today, and have a blessed Sunday!