A reflection from one of our Night College students on the book "The Worshipping you" by Tom Inglis (founder of Psalmody International)

Below are my reflections on some quotes which stood out for me when reading The Worshipping You by
Tom Inglis, in addition to related thoughts from the Psalmody Level 1 course.

“One of the greatest privileges in life is to witness to someone about Jesus, but it has to come from a
thankful heart. A life that is truly grateful to God for salvation is the most powerful and potent witness
for Christ.” - Page 128
I have been challenged by the definition of thankfulness provided in this book and the Psalmody course.
The focus must shift from the gift of salvation to the giver of the gift salvation by declaring who Jesus is
and what he means to us. Once we have revelation of this and put it into practice, our witness to those
around us will be so much more effective. A lifestyle of thankfulness (‘Yadah’) is one of the means of
praising God, and we should be utterly free in raising our hands in adoration to God for delivering and
redeeming us. I love how the raising of hands is a physical expression of freedom, and a message to the
enemy that he cannot touch us or keep us captive any longer. I have been challenged to practice
thanksgiving more frequently and intentionally, particularly in appreciation for the miracle of being
chosen and adopted as a Son of God and for God’s presence in my life.
“Praise helps us become like Him, being transformed into His image in His presence. This is why praise
and worship should be a lifestyle and not just an act. In this way, it can be claimed that praise and
worship together are possibly the most powerful, life-transforming activities in Christendom”- Page 35
God has really impressed upon my heart 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 1 during this course. I have received greater
revelation about the transforming power of praise and worship in my life, and certainly long to mature in
these practices so that I may be transformed more into the likeness of Christ. It is important to be
expectant for change and transformation when praising God out of a place of revelation from His Word.
Having a genuine, real and tangible relationship with Jesus is the essence of true praise which overflows
from loving Him and obeying His commands. The different Hebrew words for praise have been eye-
opening and provide such a practical way to think about how we praise God in our lives, especially in the
context of understanding the Psalms. Praise is ultimately all about a lifestyle of intimacy with God,
revealed to us by revelation from His Word and spending quality time with Him.
“The fullest expression of salvation is worship. When the Church understands this and practices it, the
world will soon discover that He died for them and He lives for them too.” - Page 40
Genuine worship is the act or movement towards God in humility, an activation of faith and reaction to
God’s love for us. The extent to which we understand, grasp and appreciate our salvation and the Holy
Spirit’s transformative power in our lives is the extent to which we will worship God in Spirit and Truth.
The extent to which we desire God’s presence and seek after Him is the extent to which worship will
transform our lives. Worship is a necessity which God created to bless and fulfil believers.

1 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with
unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of
glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

“God said you are created to worship. He couldn’t think of a better reason for your existence, so there
must be something extremely life-fulfilling in the act of worship” - Page 109
The more we worship God, the more tangible His presence will be in our lives which by God’s grace will
point those around us to God. The worship we give to God has value for those around us, because they
then encounter God’s presence operating in our lives. The most loving thing that we can do for ourselves,
and others, is to worship God. So many people need to meet with Jesus, and we are His conduit into the
world. Worship will fulfil us, transform us and have an impact on those around us. We need only respond
to Father God, move towards Him and allow His transformative power to work in us. It would be utterly
ridiculous to try living this life without worship being the bedrock each day.
“God’s Word must be present in our lives for the reaction of praise to take place. Praise is the outward
expression of an inward explosion of God’s Word. It is the unsolicited release mechanism of our
personal revelation of the greatness of God as we have discovered Him in His Word” - Page 138

One of my key takeaways from this book and course is the priority that must be given to God’s Word. We need to delight in God’s Word, meditate upon it and allow it to sink deeply into our hearts for the Holy Spirit’s transformative power to work in us.

My takeaway verse is Colossians 3:16 2 , which for me perfectly summarises the content of this book and Psalmody Level 1. Our responsibility and encouragement is to allow God’s Word to dwell in us richly, to that we can live a life of thankfulness, praise and worship to God, while teaching and helping others along the way.