“Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2). 
What would it look like if we took this command seriously? Worship the Lord with gladness...the Hebrew word behind that means a lot of things: joy, pleasure, mirth, rejoicing, and gladness among them. All of them have one thing in common: they are exceedingly positive words. They are words associated with smiles, with happiness, with good feelings. But are they the sorts of words we associate with worship? Or do these words more likely conjure up images of family gatherings, baseball games and good food?
The psalmist consistently calls people to joy and gladness in worship. “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1). The word for “rejoiced” is related to the word for gladness in Psalm 100. The call is the same: worship, or even the anticipation of worship, should elicit joy, gladness, even mirth. Do we associate those words with worship?
As a pastor, I have stood in front of congregations nearly every week for eighteen years. I have led singing, served communion, preached sermons, and participated in many acts of worship. I have performed funerals and officiated at weddings. I have baptized many children and adults. There are many times when I stop and search my own heart to see if there is gladness there. Am I glad to go to the house of the Lord? Sometimes I am. Sometimes I am not. Do I worship only because it’s my job, or because it’s something I’ve always done? Or do I worship because it feeds and fills my soul? Does singing bring me gladness, or is it just one more part of the service to get through? Is worship an obligation or a source of gladness?
Gladness, I believe, comes as we prepare our hearts for worship. Sometimes, whether I’m leading or participating, I rush into worship, hurry through the service, and fail to focus on the object of my worship. And I fail to experience gladness. I feel like I’ve done my duty. But when I slow down, take a few moments to prepare my heart for whatever God will show me, even ask God to slow me down and help me to focus, then my worship turns into gladness for my soul. But it takes work; it doesn’t “just happen.” Worship is natural, but it’s not easy. And it should bring gladness.
What do you need to do to know gladness in your worship?