An 8-day devotional
Understanding Worship
Hello friends.
If you’re reading this then the likelihood is that you have a relationship with worship as a follower of Jesus. Perhaps you are a worship leader, perhaps you are a pastor, or perhaps you are a Christian who wants to delve further into a narrative around authentic worship.
Wherever you find yourselves, let me offer you a disclaimer as the writer of this devotional: I am not the authority on worship, or authentic worship for that matter. What I am is a worshipper. A worshipper whose heart’s desire is to offer up to my God the purest, most real and spirit-filled worship that I can. He has done much for me and I want to make an offering to Him that is pleasing in His sight. You may disagree with some of what I share, you may have a differing opinion. But what I hope to be true is that you will, somewhere, find a new level of authenticity in your expression of worship to the Lord.
My endeavour is to ensure that all I share is Bible-based and that my opinions do not sway too far off the narrow path that we have all been called to walk with Jesus.
So, with that being said, let’s begin.
“…But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:23-24 NLT)
I have a question to ask you: What do you think it means to worship the Father in spirit and in truth?
As I mentioned earlier, I am not here to provide neat and tidy answers to all the questions that worship raises, but rather to spark conversation and think about how we can offer the most authentic worship possible up to our King.
To me, worshipping in spirit means that we are in tune and in step with God. How can we offer authentic worship to a God that we have not first calmed our soul and quieted our mind to connect with?
I believe to worship God in spirit means to come prayerfully and carefully before God – yes, boldly too – but with reverence and awe. He is God in Heaven and we are humans here on earth. May we approach His throne of grace with contemplation and sincerity.
This leads me onto truth. What does it mean to worship God in truth? I think, for me, this means to be honest with myself. To examine myself and see if there is anything within me that might hinder me from approaching God in worship.
Perhaps there is a sin issue in my life or perhaps there is unforgiveness harboured in my heart. These things have the capacity to limit and hinder our experience of worship. Just as we are called to examine ourselves before taking communion, I believe that we must perform a similar act before approaching God in worship.
He is faithful to forgive us if we find ourselves in sin. He is just to release us from unforgiveness if we have harboured this within our hearts. And when we come to Him in truth, having released sin and other hindrances from ourselves, we are free to glorify His name without distraction.
Combine these two thoughts and we have a powerful worshipper who is prayerfully and morally aligned with God, ready to lift up the name of Jesus, in spirit and in truth.
Father,
Thank you for the opportunity to look into what it means to offer you true and authentic worship. Lord, we are so grateful that you have made us to worship, that it is within our being to lift you up. May we not turn aside from You and worship worthless things in this world. May we lift up your name from a prayerful and morally upright place, bringing great glory to your name.
We love you Lord,
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Photo by DAVID NIETO on Unsplash
Living The Jesus Life 