Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, August 17, 2016

We are focusing on getting to know God from the perspective of John the beloved.

Today’s Scripture Focus: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24).

Are you a fair weather worshipper? Are you a worshipper who seeks after God under certain conditions, and in certain places? Do you need to have on certain clothing, certain beads, a certain prayer mat, a certain room, to be facing a certain direction at certain times in the day to worship God? Do you have to converge upon a certain location at a certain time of year, and recite a certain set of words to worship the Creator? Do you need to have a certain preacher, certain praise team, to hear a certain chord on the Hammond struck to worship? Do you pick one certain day to tidy your life and neglect the other six to worship? Does God have to follow your certain prescribed set of answers or ways of blessing you for you to worship? Do you have to have a certain number of minutes in tears or with warm and fuzzy feelings to worship?

Unfortunately, many of us have created sets and subsets of requirements and conditions under which we will worship God. Less fortunate still is the reality that this means we are not worshippers at all – at least not of God.

In Jesus’ exchange with the woman at the well, He let her in on an incredible secret that needed to go viral. It needed to be posted in all social media and on every live video feed. God is Holy. God is not limited to time or space. He is available to every sincere seeker of truth. True worshippers are those who appreciate and submit to His essence; whose only condition for all out worship is that they have even an inkling of God’s presence. True worshippers recognize and seek more truth, which Scripture says is Jesus Christ, all of His works, the entire body of Scripture, and the commandments (John 14:6; Psalms 33:4; John 17:17; Psalms 119:51). The Father seeks these kinds of people to worship Him—those who receive His holiness and are transformed by Him every day.

So how about we ask God today to show us how to live a life of worship? Worship is not merely about location, body positioning, or a collection of the right circumstances. It’s not about finding the perfect jargon to impress a distant deity. Worship is about trust, submission, companionship, and being guided by the One who gave His all so we could live with Him forever.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)