Have You Worshiped?
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23).
Greetings in Christ,
As part of my morning devotion, I encountered the following quote:
“Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit. Forms and rituals do not produce worship, nor does the disuse of forms and rituals. We can use all the right methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worshiped the Lord until His Spirit touches our spirit.” – Richard Foster
Interesting concept; don’t you agree? “We have not worshiped until God’s Spirit touches our spirit.” Using this simplistic definition of worship solely, may I ask, when was the last time you worshiped? I mean, really worshiped? I’m not asking when was the last time you came to church, or bowed your heart in prayer, or sang a song of praise. I’m asking, when was the last time God’s Spirit touched your spirit?
I realize for each of us there are those moments when we accidentally worship. A right word is spoken, the lyrics of a song prick our heart, and we are drawn into the presence of God. While we linger in the moment, our hearts are stirred; but let’s be honest, those sacred moments are often few and far between.
So what’s missing? Allow me to say, genuine worship begins with the intentional act of refocusing our heart. All week long our hearts are pulled in various directions. Situations, circumstances, relationships all demand our attention. And then comes Sunday; our time to re-calibrate. But have you noticed how just walking through the church door has the tendency to stir our thoughts and emotions? Some are frustrated with our spouse… or our kids. Some are disheartened about our work… or the weight of our finances. Some are stressed about the demands of school or the deadlines and pressures of our jobs. Some are depressed; others are fearful, distraught, even mourning.
As Christians we trust our God to walk with us through the deepest valleys and the highest celebrations; and yet, invariably when we enter for worship, our minds are bombarded and our hearts are distracted. Why? The straight of it is this: Satan don’t care if you come to church, as long as you don’t come to worship. It is that personal encounter of God’s Spirit touching our spirit that defeats the enemy, and renders Satan’s attacks ineffective in the Christian life.
That’s why whenever/wherever we worship; genuine worship begins with the intentional act of refocusing our heart to the presence of God. Worship is not something we attend, it is something we do. When we intentionally refocus our heart on God, we will experience God, and when we experience God, our hearts are stirred… and we worship!
Together in His service,
Bro. Tim