Why I Worship

What Is Worship, Why Do We Worship, How to Worship

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

by 1 Comment

I can remember riding in the car with my mom and dad when I was a child and hearing my younger brother saying “mama…. mama….. mama…. mama….. mama…..” After this went on for several minutes, my mom would turn around with “that look” on her face and say “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”  My brother would reply “Um….. um….. um….” and she would say with even more aggravation in her voice “Why did you call me if you didn’t have anything to say?”

I think, many times, we approach God in this same manner. We come to Him and say things like “Father, please bless my family.” or “Lord, please do your will in my life.” and we really don’t come boldly to our Father (Heb 4:16).

Luke 18:35-43 tells us the story of a special day in the life of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus.

35 He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts.36 When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on.37 They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.”38 He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”39 Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”40 Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked,41 “What do you want from me?” He said, “Master, I want to see again.”42 Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!”43 The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.

Notice that Bartimaeus did not timidly ask for the Lord to “bless him” or “meet his need.” When Jesus asked him “What do you want from me?” he boldly said “Master, I want to see again!” I wonder if Jesus already knew he was blind. OF COURSE HE DID!!! So, why then did He ask? I believe there is a twofold reason. 1- God wants us to look at ourselves and judge ourselves (1 Cor 11:31) and then come to him for forgiveness and cleansing. He will not fix what we do not acknowledge. And 2- God will not release to us what we will not pursue. When Bartimaeus began to cry out, everyone told him to be quiet, but the scripture says the he “Cried out all the more.” Notice in this passage that there was a crowd gathered to see and hear Jesus that day, but there is no mention of anyone else receiving anything from Him. Could it be that it’s because he was the only one who cried out?

What are you asking God for today? Is it worth you loosing respect from the people around you? Is it worth you going against the grain of what everyone else thinks you should be doing? Is it worth you “Crying out all the more?”

I encourage you today to passionately pursue those things that you desire from your Father. Judge yourself and then allow Him to reveal His purpose in your life.

Comments welcome!!!

Be Blessed!!

Eyes Have Not Seen…

by Leave a Comment

Remember when you were a kid and it was getting close to Christmas? Your wish list had been written, revised, revised again, and again, and finally turned in.

At some point, your mom and dad left the house long enough for you to snoop around in all of those “secret hiding places” they thought they had, and you found one or two of the things that were close to the top of your list.

Then as Christmas morning drew closer, the anticipation grew, and grew because you knew those presents would be waiting under the tree.

Then came the big day. You woke early and ran to the tree and, to your amazement, found those presents and many others waiting for you. Some you had asked for and some that you had never even thought of.

This is how I believe worship is for us as Christians. We read God’s word and discover all His promises to us. He says that we are blessed in our coming and in our going. We are above and not beneath. We find that he is our provider, our peace, our healer, our comfort, and more. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

We come to Him in worship knowing all these things are already there waiting for us.
Then when we get in His presence, our spiritual eyes are wide open with amazement (much like we were as kids at Christmas) to find that “Our eyes have not seen. Our ears have not heard. And neither has it entered into our hearts the vastness of what He has prepared for us!”

I encourage you today to come into God’s presence with the confidence of the knowledge of all His promises, but with your eyes wide open in amazement at the fact that the things you know have not even begun to scratch the surface of who He is and all He has done.

Father, keep me amazed as I walk with you today!!!

When we’re not, He is.

by Leave a Comment

I was scheduled to share a worship time this morning with our interns here at The Cathedral and, I must say, I was not prepared.

Last night, I had some things happen that really made me angry and I had not handled it well. I woke up this morning and was still dealing with it (is it ok if I admit that I’m not always holy?). I thought to myself, “I am in no place to share with these young people about being intimate with God in worship!”

As I got myself ready for work and made a somewhat feeble attempt to prepare for the task I was about to take on, Kari Jobe’s song; “You Are for Me,” began to play over and over  in my mind and heart. I don’t normally listen to Kari, but this song was really heavy in my spirit. I thought “What is the deal, here?” I could not get it to stop! Then it hit me… here are the lyrics:

So faithful. So constant. So loving and so true. So powerful in all You do.
You fill me. You see me. You know my ev’ry move. You love for me to sing to You.

I know that You are for me. I know that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness.
And I know that You have come now, even if to write upon my heart to remind me who you are.

So patient. So gracious. So merciful and true. So wonderful in all You do.
You fill me. You see me. You know my ev’ry move. And You love for me to sing to you Lord.

God was saying to me “Even when you’re not faithful, I am. Even when you haven’t been consistent, I am.”

Jesus told the woman at the well “The time is coming, and now is, when those who worship me will worship me in spirit and in truth.”

My worship is not dependent on how I have performed or whether I have performed to what I think are God’s expectations of me. My worship is not dependent upon who I am. My worship is not dependent upon what I need for God to do in my life.

If I worship God in spirit and in truth, then I come to Him acknowledging that:

  1. He knows everything about me and still chooses… no, LONGS to commune and have fellowship with me.
  2. When He looks at me, He sees me as a completed work in Christ, therefore I cannot disappoint Him or perform below His expectations of me.
  3. When I come to Him in worship I already have everything I need in Christ. All of my healing is provided. All of the provision to accomplish my purpose is already done. Therefore I worship from a well of satisfaction that He has and is everything I need.

In those times when you feel you have “messed up” too badly, or have not been good enough to come into God’s presence in real worship, remember, in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, realized they were naked, and covered themselves… but God still came, just like He always had, to walk with them in the cool of the day. He knew their sin… but still came.

He knows you… but still comes saying “I’m here. I am for you. I love you.”

“Father help me today to understand that my worship is not dependent on anything I can do or have done, but it is solely dependent on who You are and what You have done. You have purchased my healing. You have called me Your son. You have promised not to leave me nor forsake me. You have assured me that at the time when I find myself weak, Your strength will be proven perfect. Thank You for revealing yourself to me and helping me to understand the depth of Your love for me. AMEN.”