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\u201cYour covenant laws are your gift to me forever. They fill my\xa0heart\xa0with joy\u201d (Psalm 119:111).

In my last several Wilderness Wanderings, we have looked at what God might have meant when he called David, \u201ca man after my own heart.\u201d I say, \u2018what God might have meant\u2019 because the Bible does not define this phrase. We are, of course, not talking about salvific things, as if we need these in order to be saved. Rather, we have been wondering what things God saw in David that delighted him.

My assumption is, that as Christians, we too, want to cause God to delight in us. So far, we have mentioned three things: obedience, humility, and integrity. Today, I want to conclude with this: David worshipped God.

When I say this, many of you will think about David and his harp, out with his sheep at night composing those psalms that still are so dear to God\u2019s people. Psalm 8, \u201cLord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth\u201d. Psalm 139, \u201cYou have searched me, Lord, and you know me\u201d. Psalm 32, \u201cBlessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.\u201d Psalm 23, \u201cThe Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing.\u201d Psalm 51, \u201cHave mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love\u2026against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight\u2026\u201d Psalm 24, \u201cThe earth is the Lord\u2019s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it\u2026\u201d And so many more.

We may also think about the joy filled worship of God\u2019s gathered church which we miss so much these days. For us, worship was hearts and hands lifted up to God in praise, bowed down in prayer and confession, listening attentively to his Word read and expounded, gifts of money given and building up the people with words of encouragement and with prayer. Much of this all taking place in our church buildings.

The church has struggled to find ways of doing this without gathering in those central locations. How do we do it virtually? It appears hollow. We have a deep sense that people need physical contact. Somehow physical presence makes it more real.

These days of COVID have afforded us opportunity to question our assumptions about worship. Can we worship God without those Sunday corporate gatherings? Well, having asked the question, you know I\u2019m going to say yes to it. However, let me hasten to say that these weekly corporate worship services are very helpful for Christian discipleship.

But, in and of themselves, they do not make us worshippers of God. Plenty of times in the Bible, God chastises his people for engaging in the formal acts of worship but indeed, not worshipping him at all. Take some time to read through Amos 5, Isaiah 58 and Matthew 6, and you will get a fairly clear picture of what I am saying.

David was a worshipper of God not because he composed songs that became part of the Bible. Rather, he was a worshipper because he loved God and his love led him to obey God. A significant reason for corporate worship services is to fan into flame a deeper love for God and desire to obey him. It is my hope that the services we put online still help with that.

Obedience is lived out by blessing others, especially those in need. Amos and Isaiah both take a strip out of Israel because they pretended to worship God in their corporate gatherings, but all the while they are thinking about how to get ahead financially. They did not care for the least of these, as Jesus would later say.

He also said, \u201cIf anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me\u2026streams of living water will flow from within him@ (John 7:37,38). We cannot worship God and not go forth to bless those around us.

\u201cSo, how you doin?\u201d That was the question I started this little series with. Now you have four things to ponder as you answer that question: obedience, humility, integrity, worship. \u201cHow you doin?\u201d