Prior to putting together this writing, I was reminded of the Hymn written in 1907 by Henry Van Dyke titled: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. The opening verse of the hymn rang out in my heart serving to cause me to ponder the concept of adoration. The first verse is as follows:
Joyful, Joyful we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
What does it mean to adore? What does it mean to adore the Lord? And should we as His people exhibit adoration in our heart as we reflect on our Savior? To begin I will start with a definition of the word adore. According to Websters dictionary the word adore means to worship; to honor; to regard with loving admiration and devotion. To adore is to worship. It is worship that is done in honor of the One that we hold dearly in our heart with love and devotion. In a sense, adoration is a fruit that is produced because of love.
Back to my question, what does it mean to adore? Adoration requires honor, devotion and worship toward the focus of the adoration. Adoration is an expression of reverence out of love. What then does it mean to adore the Lord? As the people of God it is not a responsibility or obligation to adore the Lord, it is a reciprocation of His love. Adoration toward the Lord is an expression of awe in reflection of His endless love for those who declare the hope in the Name of Salvation, Jesus our Messiah. Joyfully, joyfully therefore, we should adore the Lord.
Joyfully let us claim hope in the God of glory. Joyfully we call upon Jesus to open our heart as if a flower before the sun above. We open our hearts to receive His goodness and mercy. We cry out that He may melt away the clouds of sin and sadness. Convict our hearts Lord, of those things that we cling to that are not in keeping with Your will. Melt them away from us by Your power. Help us to claim joy. Take away the sadness, anxiety and the hopelessness that this world desires to pile upon us. Drive away the dark despair of doubt. Help us to see You as the giver of immortal gladness. It is only the Name of Jesus that can equip us with gladness. Jesus fill us with the Light of day! Joyfully, joyfully we adore.
My prayer for those reading these words is that you can find hope in the Lord. If you are suffering under the clouds of doubt, despair, sin or sadness may you turn your face toward the Light. Jesus is our Light (John 8:12).
Corby Shuey 