Encountering God through Worship

Devotional

Jesus taught us in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” Your heavenly Father is seeking your worship. He longs for it. He so values your love and adoration that he would send his Son to die that the path to encountering him would be made available.

You were first and foremost created to worship. You were created to receive the love of your Creator and in response give him your heart. You will never feel as whole as when your heart is connected to your Father’s and you are giving and receiving love in worship. Colossians 3:14-17 says,

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Christian life is to be marked by heartfelt, genuine worship: worship filled with God’s presence and nearness and that responds to a true encounter with the heart of God. If that type of worship is new to you, that’s okay! If the idea of encountering God in worship is new to you, there is joy and grace at the place of new beginnings. Don’t allow your past to dictate the possibilities of your future. Don’t allow past experiences where worship might not have been filled with encountering Jesus make you believe that future times of worship won’t be marked by intimacy and God’s presence.

There is a new season of worship on the rise. Psalm 29:2 says, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” It’s time for the people of God to worship in the “splendor of holiness.” It’s time for us to receive in faith our new position as children seated in the heavenly places with Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). It’s time for us to seek encounters with our God that are unveiled and filled with God’s presence (2 Corinthians 3:18). It’s time to worship in both spirit and truth, with our hearts and our minds fully engaged and responsive.

Isaiah 12:5 says, “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.” May the world around you change as the result of your worship. May your declaration of God’s goodness lead others into restored relationship with the Father. May your life be marked by intimacy and encounter with the living, active God of love who is nearer to you than you have ever imagined.