TRUE WORSHIP (2)

“Exalt the Lord our God, and WORSHIP at HIS FOOTSTOOL – He is holy” – Psalm 99:5

A personal encounter with God is the Essence of TRUE WORSHIP: “Exalt the Lord our God, and WORSHIP at HIS FOOTSTOOL – He is holy” (Psa.99:5). Worship is literally, to “bow” or “stoop down” as an act of submission and reverence towards the One being worshipped. This is to be the willing response of the worshiper, not something forced on him or her. It is to pay homage freely to the One being worshipped. True worshippers will pay homage to God, bowing before Him in reverent submission. They must do this from their hearts, not merely as an outward gesture; with absolute sincerity and integrity in a way pleasing to the Lord.

Jesus declared: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him MUST WORSHIP in SPIRIT and TRUTH” (Jh.4:23b). This is not an option, but a necessity – the way Christians must worship: in spirit and in truth! This means that it is possible to have a personal encounter with God whenever we worship Him. While the Lord can sovereignly choose to move in a particular way, encounters of True Worship are not meant to happen infrequently. Why would God desire and seek True Worship if it was meant to be rare?

God the Father seeks worshippers who worship “in spirit and in truth”; people with hearts of worship, whose nature and penchant is to worship Him. He is not interested in a performance. Rather He wants the human spirits of the worshippers to be engaged with His Spirit, allowing them to be drawn into the unity with Him that He desires. Jesus sees worship more as the heart expression of those who know and love Him, than as a mere activity. The form of worship matters less than the heart condition of the worshippers.

To “worship” is to give worth to the Object of one’s devotion. To worship God is to express to Him what He is worth! It is practically impossible to state adequately in words God's True Worth! However, we can look to Scripture, with its many passages of worship. To learn to worship in spirit and in truth, we must depend on scriptural revelation of worship in heaven; for all that takes place there is in “spirit and truth.” God wants His Kingdom and His Will to be expressed on earth as it is in heaven (Lk.11:2). This means He wants "heavenly" worship here on earth! God has given us His Spirit to make such worship possible for those who believe in Him.

Psalm 99:5 compressed several important truths about worship. The worshipper wants to “exalt the Lord,” to lift Him up, magnify Him, focus on His greatness. By contrast, the worshipper pays homage by bowing at His feet, in loving and reverent submission to His greatness. God is holy by nature. He is whole, complete, perfect in Himself. The worshipper is only too aware of his or her own unworthiness before such an awesome God. And yet the wonderful truth is that God wants us to draw near to Him for He longs to reveal Himself in His Glory and Holiness to His people. Because of all that Jesus had done for us on the cross, cleansing us of our sin, it is possible for us to approach His throne without fear of judgment and to meet with Him in His Glory and Majesty.

However, even though we are made clean by Jesus’ blood, and given access to the throne of God's Grace, we still come bowing humbly before Him. John, the apostle was more intimate with Jesus in His humanity than the other disciples. At the Last Supper, he lay with His head on the Master’s breast. Yet this same John, when He met with Jesus in His Glory, wrote “I fell at his FEET as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last” (Rev.1:17).

The root of the Greek word for worship means to kiss. To worship is to kiss the Feet of Jesus; to adore Him out of a heart of love.