Worship
By Peggy Kleckner
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24 (NIV)
I have spent some time pondering
true worship. What does it look like? What does it feel like?
I have come to the conclusion that
it is a mystery. There have been times when worship has been painful. Just to
utter His words of truth aloud and to stay in the shelter of His embrace has
been to deny all that I see with my eyes and all that I feel with my emotions.
The words form from practice, from habit, and from deep within. Somehow, my
heart still sings the notes that I, in my flesh, am not experiencing and I feel
divided, a sort of a civil war within. My Captain is leading and I follow,
though I follow in tears and great distress. I meet Him in the garden where He
too poured out His anguish.
At other times, worship is a deep
joy bubbling up and spilling out and into all the pockets of my life, the
crevices of old wounds, the dents of this earthly life. My heart is singing and
my body is dancing to the tune. I am lighthearted and lifted above the
ordinary.
Sometimes a song leads me to
worship, sometimes nature, sometimes a friend, sometimes a distress. So many
views and glimpses of Him. So many opportunities to reach out and touch the hem
of His garment.
How can one describe “worship”?
Why does Christ say that we must worship
in spirit and in truth? I think it is because the Spirit is given to those who
believe in Jesus as their Savior, those who are now called His children. How
can anyone offer spiritual, from-the-inside-out worship to one whom they do not
know?
Why truth? Christ called Himself the
truth. Can I come to Him falsely, still denying my own sin? Yes, indeed I can. But
I am then denying Him, denying the truth of my own need for a Savior. To deny
my need is to deny God’s answer.
He wants me to bring out - - or
actually, allow Him to bring out into the open - - all the areas
of my life that need healing, my hidden wounds. He comes to set me free, but I
have to truthfully admit to my bondages.
To worship then also means to admit
my deep need of a Savior, to bow down and ask for rescue.
How about you? What is the mystery
of true worship…what does it look like…what does it feel like…?
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
How do you worship Him in spirit and in truth?
2. Have you been denying His right to rule and
reign in any particular area of your life? Will you humble yourself before Him?
FURTHER
READING:
Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons
and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.
