3 Scriptures Inviting Us To Worship
Hello Friend
As I've been pressing into the late 30s category, there's been changes evolving in my physical health. The back aches persist longer, strained muscles don't just go away and what used to be a simple task seems to take more effort (or delegated to the strong man).
The toys on the floor beckon me to reach down, to satisfy my longing for neatness. Somehow, bending over to pick them up seems farther than what it used to, with the twinge in my back and the creak in my knees.
One of the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament translated to mean worship is shachah. It means to bow down, to prostate oneself before God in worship; submitting our body on the ground to reflect the surrender of a humble heart,
"Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Psalm 95:6)
Here's a song of worship to God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the gentle pleadings throughout the psalm bidding us to come. Bowing down physically is hard for us as we get on in years, I see too, how difficult it is to bow our hearts. Consumed with pride and selfishness at times, our nature rails against the act of submission, we hold onto our own rights, our own choice.
Yet worship invites us to submit and surrender.
This psalm goes on to remind the Israelites of what happened at Rephidim, when they complained against God when there was no water in the wilderness (Num 20). The psalmist reminds us we have a choice today, to resist God's call to trust and obey Him or to soften our hearts to surrender and worship.
Where is God calling you to bow down?
"But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." (John 4:23)
The Samaritan woman at the well points out to Jesus the argument between their people about the correct location to worship God. Sometimes we can get caught up in expressions of worship, as if there is a "right way" to demonstrate reverence and adoration of God... so is there?
Jesus points out that "You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know..." (John 4:22). He teaches her - and all of us - that worship is about truth. Our worship of God is rooted in what Scripture teaches us about who God is, what He has done for us and what He is continuing to do in us. This is the foundation for worship. As we drink in the Word, we are learning more about His goodness, His justice and His sacrificial love, so that we are well hydrated in truth.
How does knowing truth impact your worship?
"Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made" (Isaiah 2:8)
The people, the material things, the experiences we hold dearly, can become the focus of our attention, and consumption of our hearts. We can't talk about worship without remembering that our eyes are prone to wander, our hearts yearn to be satisfied, and the default of our sinful nature is to find resolve in the things of the world.
The earth belongs to God, and all that is in it. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. I believe we are given gifts of blessing during our time here, but these graces of goodness are not meant to deplete our energy nor distract our focus from the One who gave them. May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, the Giver of the greatest gift.
Where do you notice finding fulfillment in things of the world, rather than in God?
