John 4:23-24. MSG. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT. 16 I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
Observation
Merriam Webster defines worship as (1) reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; (2) an act of expressing reverence; and (3) to adore, idolize, esteem worthy, give homage. The worship Jesus and Habakkuk describe in these verses surpasses the mere visible act of showing reverence by raising hands or singing or even serving others. These verses elevate worship to an attitude of the very heart rooted in faith, trusting in God’s wisdom, His goodness, and His plan, unshaken by circumstances, undaunted by whatever enemies or authorities arise to exert power over or control us.
- This worship is one that can “count it all joy” and find God sufficient in all circumstances.
- This worship does not hinge on how blessed we feel or appear, or the godliness or godlessness of the authorities which rule over us, or our physical comfort and well-being or whether we like the way the church looks, the style of music during the service or what else the church provides.
- This worship permeates our lives, flows from within rooted in a deep and abiding gratitude, love, hope and trust, and brings us to a place where we can submit completely to being an instrument in the hand of God to fulfill His will and purpose regardless of the cost to ourselves (Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Yet not My will, but Your will, be done. – Luke 22:42).
If we truly want to be like Jesus, this worship is what we must seek to embrace, allowing it to flow outward from spirit through soul to be evidenced in our lives 24/7/365.
Impact on Me
In 2000, we were in a church that was transitioning from a long-time pastor to a very young new one. We were on the leadership team and many of our members were honestly burnt out, tired, and discouraged. The new pastor chose to find long distance advice and support which encouraged him to reject the current leadership team and go it on his own. This caused a great deal of upheaval, confusion and hurt for all of us who were highly invested in that fellowship. As John and I prayed, the Holy Spirit was firm in insisting we stay in that fellowship without complaining UNTIL we were healed of our offense and able to honestly bless and encourage the new ministry.
During our healing process (we found out that this is really God’s prescribed treatment) we were to pray for the pastor and congregation and ourselves to grow in godliness, continue to bless, edify, and encourage the pastor and others until we came to a place of love, grace, mercy, compassion where we could truly bless the new pastor as we left. May I say that this was not the answer we wanted to hear or the plan we would have chosen on our own!!! However, the Holy Spirit taught me so much in those months about true worship.
I learned that true worship will not be impacted by my circumstances, feelings, surroundings, or outside influences because true worship is between God and me alone; the depth, quality, authenticity, and truth of my worship hinges on my relationship with my Savior, my submission to Him as Lord, and my desire, commitment, and faithfulness to glorify Him in all I do. This requires that I offer up my pride, my plans or need to have my own way, as a sacrifice, trusting in God’s plan, provision, or prescription instead of my own – REGARDLESS of what the cost is to me. The book of Habakkuk is his journey from doubt to this kind of worsip, this unshakeable faith and hope.
I can only speak for myself, but I find that my pride always dies kicking and screaming, telling me that the price is too high or that I will have to give up too much. I hear the voice saying I deserve to be offended at being treated unfairly or being disrespected. I hear that I have a right to hold a grudge or work revenge against one who has wronged me. It is my choice whether I embrace God’s plan or my own. However, when I choose His, as I go through the process and stand over another dead piece of my pride, I find that I feel lighter, cleaner, freer, more peaceful, more hopeful, more grateful, more joyful, more secure in Christ. After 5 months, we were able to ask the pastor to release us without any rancor in our souls and move on. While I really don’t desire to walk that path again, I treasure the lessons learned, the depths of relationship gained.
Prayer
Lord, may I learn to rejoice in You always regardless of my current circumstances, regardless of what the future seems to hold, regardless of those who rule over me, regardless of how I feel or the results I want. When I am tempted to listen to the voice of my pride and my selfish desires, remind me of Your prayer in the garden as You faced the horror of the Cross for my sake and the sake of all mankind. Give me the courage, wisdom, strength and grace to worship You 24/7/365 so You may be glorified in all I do. I pray that others may come to know You because they meet You in me. I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 