Worship need not be confined to our private devotions and our corporate worship. Yes, these are the times when we should expect to see the character of the Lord and bow before Him with joyful and reverent praise. However, we can see traces of the Lord’s character and beauty in all of His creation, and especially in the apex of His creation, humanity.
When we see beauty, even if it is on the easel of an unbelieving artist, in the writing of an unconverted novelist, or in the face of a supermodel, we trace it to the Beautiful One and worship Him.
When we see power, even when exercised by a non-Christian President, even when bursting out of the biceps of an atheist weightlifter, even when in the legs of a leopard, we trace it to the Powerful One and worship Him.
When we see wisdom, even when it’s displayed by a secular journalist, or a Muslim neighbor, or an unbelieving lecturer, we trace it to the Wise One and worship Him.
When we see love, even in imperfect relationships, in our unbelieving children, or in the patriotic soldier sacrificing His life for his friends, we trace it to the One who is Love and worship Him.
When we see loyalty, even in a 25-year employee, even in the patriotism of the French, even in that of a dog to His master, we trace it to the covenant faithfulness and unbreakable loyalty of the Faithful and Loyal One and worship Him.
When we see patience, even in most of the drivers stuck in the same snarl-up, in the irreligious nurse, or in the Home Depot employee as he deals with our stupid questions, we trace it to the One who is powerfully patient and worship Him.
When we see mercy or truthfulness, or whatever other virtue, wherever we see it, we use it to rise up to its ultimate source and worship Him.
The temptation is to take it for granted, or overlook or take no notice of it, or even to attribute it to the person rather than to God. But that’s not what the Psalmist did. He deliberately opened His eyes and sought out evidences of God’s common (or “everywhere”) grace and wherever He found it – in fields, in the sky, in the seasons, in the animals, in people, and even in military victories – He turned that everywhere grace to God’s everywhere glory in celebratory praises and humble worship (Psalm 65:5-13; 104:13-24; 145:9, 15, 16; esp look at the chorus in Psalm 136).
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