Sitting on the shelf in my office is a beautiful hand-made mantle clock that sat on the mantle of my grandparents’ house for many years. Every time it chimes, it takes me back to the old house in Chandler, Texas. I love this clock (including the accuracy of time, the steady ticking, the hypnotic swings of the pendulum, and the hourly chimes), yet I come in on Monday morning and see a clock that is about “wound down.” So, the first thing I do on Monday morning is to get the key, open the case and wind it up so it will faithfully work as designed for the entirety of the week.
It occurs to me that how our hearts ought to be affected by worship is a lot like what happens every week when I wind that clock. When we offer God worship as He desires, He is the One who receives the praises and honor, but our hearts will receive renewal and refreshment (Read: “winding”). Consider a few principles from the winding of the clock in worship:
God did not design us to be “selfwinding” machines. In fact, the more often we try to “skip” or “skimp” on our worship habits, the more empty, spiritually famished, and tired we will become (Ps. 42:1-5). As we “wind down,” it ought to cause us to look forward to the time we can be refreshed by being in the presence of God with His people (Ps. 122:1-9).
God knew we would need to have others see how well we are “ticking.” Hebrews 10:24 tells us we are to “consider one another.” Literally, “consider” means to “observe, discover, perceive, and understand.” We have, at least, a weekly opportunity in the gathering together of the church to really see and perceive how life is going for our fellow Christians hearts and lives—with the understanding that we all make a difference in each other’s lives.
God knew we would be able to “wind each other up.” Our world is “wound up” about a great many things right now…but very few of them (if any at all) are godly. Gathering for worship and focusing on God’s greatness is already a refreshment for the heart (Psalm 42 again). However, think about Hebrews 10:24 again, “consider one another to stir up love and good works.” The word “stir up” means to “provoke” or “incite” or “irritate.” While people in recent days have been provoked to violence, Christians look at each other and say, “how can I provoke this person in the assembly to greater love and service?” Praise God for His wisdom in the “winding of worship.” Are you being wound up?
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