Readings for today: Psalms 50-52, Acts 27:1-26
It’s important to prepare our hearts for worship. It’s important to understand the magnitude of the act we participate in on a Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Worship is not entertainment. Worship is not an experience. Worship is an encounter. An encounter with the Living God. In worship we enter into His Presence. We come into His house. His throne room. We find ourselves in His space which is governed by His terms. His will. His ways. As such, our will no longer matters. Our desires no longer reign. Our thoughts and attitudes no longer hold any importance. God is God and we are not. If we are not overwhelmingly confronted with that thought when we worship then we must question whether we have truly worshipped at all.
God doesn’t need us, friends. He doesn’t need our worship. He doesn’t need our gifts. He doesn’t need our attention. He is fully complete and whole in Himself. He is fully satisfied in Himself. He is fully sufficient in Himself. Listen to how the Psalmist puts it…“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” (Psalm 50:8-13) God is not like us. He is wholly other. He exists outside time and space. He has no need of anything we might bring. And yet, He extends His hand to us. He invites us to be in relationship with Him. Out of the overflow of the love that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are invited to participate in the life of God in worship. It is the greatest privilege of our lives. The greatest honor we could ever receive. This is why we “offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform our vows to the Most High, and call upon Him in the day of trouble…” (Psalm 50:14-15) trusting Him to deliver us.
Such a monumental event requires intentional preparation. We would never attend a function at the White House without first thinking through what we will wear, what we will say, or what we might do. We would never attend a special event held in someone’s honor without preparing a gift. So how does one prepare oneself for worship? We pray the prayer King David prayed in Psalm 51. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12) We ask God to do what we cannot. We cannot wash ourselves clean. We cannot remove the stain of sin. We cannot maintain a righteous spirit. These are things God must do for us and the great news of the gospel is He already has! Out of the deepest gratitude for all God has done in Christ, we bring the only sacrifice that is acceptable. The only sacrifice God values. The only sacrifice we can possibly offer which is “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, God will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
When we humble ourselves before God in worship. Offering Him the broken pieces of our lives. Asking Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God responds. God answers our prayers. God hears our cries. And He goes to work. We become like a green olive tree in His house. His steadfast love and faithfulness sustain us for all of life and all eternity. Our hearts overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving for all He has done. And we find ourselves longing more and more to join God’s people in worship around His throne.
Readings for tomorrow: None