“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
Yesterday I prayed most of the day for two people. I felt my own inadequacy and even though I prayed in the name of Jesus, not my own merit, my lack of merit overwhelmed me. Why should God hear me, never mind answer? Besides, the request was for a non-believing person with concerns for someone in our family who planned to confront this relative. While it needed to happen, my prayer was that this woman would say the right thing to help, even though our relative is extremely angry at her and unlikely to listen. Would the advice be good? Given in the right spirit? Would it be received? In humility? My heart was heavy with concern.
The woman called later in the day to report that confrontation went well. Her words conveyed love not a “sermon” and her advice was received — with a promise of action. God did hear and answer, and my heart rejoices at His goodness.
This morning I read Charnock again. He says that spiritual worship includes an awareness of our own weakness, and the more we love God, the more we should grieve over our sin. He adds that we give Him so little and must realize that we have no more to give.
This is where I am, and after reading Charnock, I realize that I have been worshiping God. I thought worship would lift me up as I lifted up God, but worship is not all joy and exuberance. It can include grief and angst over sin, a deep emptiness that longs for righteousness, and that horrible cry of, “God, forgive me, a sinner.”
In a tape series on how to glorify God, John MacArthur points out an Old Testament passage where Joshua confronts Aachen, a man who disobeyed God after a battle with their enemies. Joshua says to him, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give Him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
God is glorified when we are honest about our sins. As David said in Psalm 51, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”
God says we are sinful to the core. When we agree with Him, we are justifying His evaluation of us, exalting Him for being correct and just. While humiliation does not feel good, it does glorify God — making a deep sense of inadequacy part of what it means to worship Him.
1 comment:
Hey Elsie while your comment on my blog does appeal to me a few years ago I have kind of given up on my search for God. I strieved and strieved to find him in my late teens I sought many a hours solace in the church. The Catholic church turned its back on me and other churches especially the church of England do not appeal to me if I were to regain my faith it would definetly not be through a church. The history of the church is filled with some pious men and women but mainly full of fat greedy grasping cruel men intent on filling there pockets this seems very true, in history and in the present if you look at the evengelical preechers of today, always asking you to give and never giving a lot in return. I there is a God, just think life is not a test, and why give man free will what does that prove if he strays from a rightous path. I wich there was a God I would embrace him and serve, but there isn't so all I can do is show kindness to others in need, and not be taken for a weak fool for this. All the best thanks for the comment on my blog
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