Christian Living Today

Toward the end of his book entitled, “The Invisible Hand,” R.C. Sproul shares some valuable thoughts on prayer. While I do not typically fill a blog with quotes, I would only fail, were I to try and say this in my own words. So, for our edification, here are R.C.’s thoughts:

“Prayer is a vital vehicle, or tool, that God has given His church so that we may become fully sanctified. By prayer our thoughts are lifted toward Him and our hearts are bent to His perfect will. As Calvin says in his Institutes, we pray ‘not so much for [God’s] sake as for ours.’

“We pray so that we may not lose heart. . .Prayer changes us. . .In prayer we have the opportunity to learn of the character of the Father. Indeed, prayer is one of the most effective means we have to discern the invisible hand of Providence. The more we understand the character of God, the easier it is for us to see this hand at work in our lives.

“When we are praying in general we tend to see the work of Providence likewise ‘in general.’ When we pray specifically we begin to be overwhelmed by the specific answers to our prayers that vividly display His hand to us. By this our faith is strengthened and our confidence in His Providence is intensified.

“We are created with the capacity for worship. . .The closer David [drew] to God, the more intense his expressions of praise and worship [became]. Thus we find the Psalms full of adoration.” We find them focusing on God’s glory and majesty. They reveal the Psalmist’s delight in His presence. They show us a behind-the-scenes look at a worshiper, immersed in the praise of God’s perfection and excellency.

“In confession we lose our burden of unconfessed guilt. . .the more we contemplate the excellency of God in His perfect holiness, the more cognizant we become of our own unworthiness. The more we learn about God, the more we learn about our selves. The more we learn about ourselves, the more we realize how much we have to confess.

“Professing Christians often ask God to bless or sanction their sin. . They are even capable of telling their friends they have prayed about a certain matter and God has given them peace despite [the fact that] what they were praying for was contrary to His will. Such prayers are thinly veiled acts of blasphemy.

“When we contemplate the mercies we receive from the hand of Providence. . . .we are moved to gratitude. A grateful heart is a joyous heart. . .To keep [one’s] blessings in mind is a fortress against despair and an overflowing fountain of joy.”

If we meditate on these thoughts, I believe we will find much fodder for our own prayers.

As we wrap up this brief look into true worship, I want to share with you some implications which a correct understanding of worship should have on us. John Piper, in his sermon, “The Inner Essence of Worship” lists four important points. I encourage you to listen to this sermon which is available at the Desiring God website. However, because I believe these implications help us wrap up our study, I will share them with you, in part.

Implication #1 - The pursuit of God is not optional; it is our highest duty in our worship.

Our society has bought Immanuel Kant’s lie. Kant told us our highest motivation should be self-less. Applying this to worship, we have come to believe it is wrong to come to worship seeking to gain something. Yet, as we saw in our last post, Paul is seeking in life or death (in every possible area of worship) to ‘gain’ Christ.

The essence of true worship is a heart-driven desire to find joy and satisfaction in our God. Thus, if you buy the lie, where are you going to worship? If you do not desire to be filled, to enjoy, to find your contentment and happiness in God, what will motivate you to worship?

Worship is not about what we are bringing to God. It is not about how well we ‘perform,’ how harmoniously we sing, how beautifully we are garbed, how attentively we listen - it is about coming to God seeking from the very depths of our being the be filled with the Lord of the universe!

Pastor Piper put it like this, “You ought to come hungry for God. Come saying, “As a deer pants for the flowing springs, so my soul pants for thee, O God.” God is mightily honored when a people know that they will die of hunger and thirst unless they have God.”

Implication #2 - When we finally grasp the essence of true worship is finding our satisfaction in God, our worship becomes completely God-centered.

Do you want to worship God aright? Do you desire to truly worship? Get it into your heart, into your mind, become fully persuaded there is nothing in this life or the next which is going to satisfy you like your God. Once your heart beats in tune to this reality, God will become completely central and supreme in your life. Then, and only then, are you able to truly worship Him - in spirit and in truth. Now you know why　you go to church. Now you long to be in God’s house. Now you begin to understand what drove David to pen the many psalms which revel in the magnificence of God.

Implication #3 - Cherishing God and His supremacy as the highest, the most noble, the most desirable end protects worship from becoming a means to an end.

We are so easily fooled. We think we are worshiping when, in truth, we are using worship as a means to attain something else we want. We ‘worship’ so God will bless us financially, or numerically, or physically, or with family unity, or for myriad other ‘things’ which are what we really worship. This is NOT true, God-pleasing worship, but it is a far too common ingredient in our ‘worship.’

Implication #4 - If the essence of true worship is finding my satisfaction in God, Paul’s expression in Romans 12:1 (that all of life is an expression of worship) makes sense.

When I desire to know God to that degree and to that depth, it cannot help but impact me in every facet of my life. One of the reasons my ‘worship’ so often falls so far below real worship is because magnifying God, knowing God, drawing closer to God is not the underlying motivating factor in all of life.

God grant us the ability to not only say, but mean these words of David, “As a deer pants for the flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Teach me, oh God, to pant after you - to long for you - to desire you above everything and every one else!

We have looked at worship from numerous angles in recent posts, seeking to understand what worship is and what it is not. In the final post on Prayer and Worship, I asked some questions which have been challenging me as we continue defining real worship:

1- Do we ‘study’ our God?

2- Do we invest significant time into learning from Him by reading and studying the Scriptures and sitting under biblical preaching and teaching?

3- Are we as concerned about knowing our God’s desires and wishes and demands as we are about knowing those of our boss or our spouse or our parent or our teacher or some other authority figure in our lives?

The theme connecting these questions is the centrality of God in our lives - thus in our worship. Everyone worships. This much is clear. Furthermore, our worries reveal what and who we worship. However, pinning a clear, working definition on worship has proven a bit illusive. Thus I am thankful for John Piper’s sermon on the “Inner Essence of Worship”.While in the Old Testament we see many forms and symbols used in worship, in the New Testament worship is NOT about the position of the body or the words on the lips. Jesus warned against this specifically in Matthew 15:8. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”

Words, alone, do not constitute worship. True worship flows from a heart attitude. A worshiping heart is a heart which has seen God, a heart which hungers for God, a heart which treasures God above all else. As Pastor Piper pointed out, we can sing the words, “Oh Lord, You’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek. . .” We can look like we mean it. We can sound　like we mean it. But, if, in our hearts, God is not the one we seek, above everything else, we are not worshiping, we are lying!

Worship is all about magnifying God. It is all about putting Him first and foremost. It is all about focusing on His ‘worth-ship.’ From Phillipians 1:20-21, Pastor Piper showed Paul’s working definition of worship. In these verses Paul says, “. . .that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

John Piper pointed out Paul is actually saying, his earnest hope and passion, whether in life or in death, is that Christ is always worshiped. Do you see it? Paul is saying, in his life and his death he wants to magnify Christ - put Him first and foremost - reveal His ‘worth-ship.’

As Pastor Piper unpacked these verses He revealed what Paul was saying. First off he showed the connection between the two verses. In both verses Paul uses a ‘life’ and ‘death’ illustration. If we look at the ‘death’ illustration we see Paul is saying death is gain.

Theoretically a lot of Christians would agree. However, there are few (myself, I fear, included) who long for death because it means they will be with Christ - which to them is the highest most desirable place they can imagine being.

Do you long for death? If so, why? I suspect, like me, if you have longed for death, that longing was most prevalent when life was hard. In other words, what we long for is escape, ease, eternal pleasure. This is NOT the attitude Paul is talking about. This is NOT seeing death as gain because you so desire to be with your Lord and Savior.

Paul sees gaining Christ - in life or death - as the highest thing he can attain. To him, knowing and experiencing and being with Christ us far better than family or friends or wealth or possessions or reputation or career or anything　this life has to offer. So, worship, at its very core, is a savoring, a treasuring, and magnifying of Christ! Is this your heart attitude? Is this your goal?

The second aspect of worship Paul reveals in this passage is living worship. He says ‘for me, to live is Christ’. What does he mean? Phillipians 3:8 gives us the answer. Here Paul says, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value [gain] of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.”

Do you see it? Paul does not just long for death as a way to magnify Christ - a way to make Him central and primary in his life. Even in his life, Paul treasurers God above all else. It might be easy to make ourselves believe that in our death we will treasure seeing God, being with God, glorifying God as our highest end, however, as we evaluate our lives - is this the position God holds now?

Pastor Piper says until we arrive at this point, there is no worship in our lives. Worship is, at its essence, an inward cherishing or prizing of Christ in our daily lives as well as in our coming death. It is finding our complete satisfaction in Him.

This does NOT mean the only person who worships God is the monk in the abbey, the nun in the cloister, or the hermit in a mountain hut. Paul is just one example of a saint who, in everyday life, worshiped by prizing God above all else. Prizing God above all else does NOT mean we stop living and loving and interacting in the world in which we live. Paul did not. We should not.

Jesus put it this way in Luke 14:25 - 27. “And there went great multitudes with him: and He turned, and said unto them, If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.”

This passage coincides with what we have been discovering. We see multitudes following Christ. In today’s vernacular we see people at church going through the motions - most likely thinking they are worshiping God.

We would probably expect Jesus to turn around, raise His hands and bless these faithful followers. But He doesn’t! He turns around and says some very unexpected words. He tells this ‘adoring’ crowd they must hate their family members, even their own life, if they want to be one of His followers.

This verse has raised many questions. What is Jesus saying? Are we to literally hate our family? Our life? Jesus is saying, in comparison to your love for me, your love for your family, for your very life, must be hatred. We see this attitude played out in real life in Genesis.

Remember Abraham? Remember how long he longed for and sought to possess a true heir? Remember the delight Abraham and Sarah felt upon the birth of Isaac? Remember how this son was treasured as the fulfillment of all their dreams and hopes and plans?

Then, in Genesis 22 verse 2 we read these HORRID words, “Then He [God] said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

No parent can really contemplate this command without shuddering. How terrible! How mind-boggling! How hard to understand! This is another verse which has caused many who do not understand worship to question God’s goodness. How dare He? What was God’s point?

Think of it this way. Can you even put into words the love you feel for your children? Your spouse? Your family? If you have ever experienced real　love, you know exactly what I mean. Thus it is not hard to imagine this child, Isaac, was the center of Abraham’s world. Yet, God required, of Abraham (and of us), that HE be the center of our world.

Thus God tested Abraham. Not because He didn’t know Abraham’s heart, but because Abraham needed to be reminded Who was first and foremost. He needed to ‘hate’ his own son in comparison to his love for his God.

The thing I find painful is, as I hold my own precious son in my arms, I cannot fathom passing this test. Could I? Would I be willing to make that journey to Mt. Moriah? Would I bind my son? Would I lift the knife? Would I take the downward plunge?

If Christ is everything to me, if I cherish Him above all else, if pleasing Him is really my highest goal in life - then, if He commanded me to do the unfathomable, I could. If I could not, because He is not, I have never really worshiped Him!

True worship is based upon a heart attitude. It is easy to be hypocritical in our worship. We are quick to fool ourselves into believing we are worshiping rightly when we pay ‘lip-service’ to those things God requires while displaying an external appearance of Christianity.

We cannot worship a God we do not know (or at least a God we are not earnestly seeking to know). Furthermore, we cannot worship a God we do not serve. In the Old Testament we are shown a God who merits worship because He forgives our sins (Ps. 99:8 - “You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God–Who–Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.”).

We cannot worship God aright if we do not see ourselves, first and foremost, as sinners in need of forgiveness. We must realize we are sinful; God is holy. The more we comprehend the great chasm between our sinfulness and God’s holiness, the more we are in awe and adoration of His willingness to stoop and rescue a sinful people who hated and scorned His redemption.

As we get to know our God, we come face to face with a holy God, a God who is in control of every aspect which occurs within His creation, a God who is completely good and just and right. All these aspects were understood by Old Testament believers as attributes which made the God of Israel unique from every other ‘god’ of the day. Thus we read in Isaiah 45:20-23,

“Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”

God did not just reveal His perfections to His people. As amazing and mind-boggling as it is, He did not just determine to redeem for Himself a sinful people who hated Him. While this alone is enough to merit our life-long adoration, God stooped even further. He chose to bind Himself by a covenant of His own making to His people. He promised to ‘be their God’ and to make them ‘His people’. Surely such a God is worthy of our worship!

Worship, then, begins with knowledge. While everyone worships, we cannot worship rightly what we do not know. We have looked at Jesus’ definition of worship in John 4. However, if we back up one verse, we find Jesus making this point. In John 4, verse 22 we read, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”

In other words, the Jews knew the One True God. This does not mean they all worshiped Him, but He had revealed Himself to them in a personal manner - something no other peoples had experienced. So, worship begins with knowledge. It is an act which flows from our head and　our heart. It is not something we conjure up nor is it based on us. True worship is God-centered. It magnifies Him, alone.

Definitions certainly help, but what does real worship look like? There are four well-known people in the Bible who give us a glimpse of real worship - Moses, Isaiah, David, and Peter.

Isaiah is perhaps the most commonly referred to example. In Isaiah 6:1-5 we read, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”

What did Isaiah experience? “I saw the Lord. . .” How did he respond, “I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips. . .’ ” Does this not tie with what we have seen so far? True worship flows from a heart which has been impacted by a deeper understanding of God which exposes more fully the ‘real’ me.

Peter responded in a similar manner when, in Luke 5 he finally saw Jesus as God. After fishing all night without success, Jesus comes along and tells the fishermen to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. When they obey, their boats begin to sink because of the weight of their haul. Peter realizes this is not ‘accident’. He realizes he is face-to-face with something and Someone above and beyond the normal. Thus, in verse 8, we read, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”"

Do you see the similarity in their reactions? Both recognized ‘God’. In each situation a man really sees God, and, in response, he really　sees himself. This clarified vision resulted, in each case, in worship.

David is another example. Interestingly enough, while David is called a ‘man after God’s own heart,’ while he penned numerous psalms, and while most of his psalms begin or end with worship, Scripture never records a ‘face-to-face’ incident between God and David.

I find this encouraging. Scripture records few believers who had personal encounters with God. Even those who saw Christ, often did not really see. Thus as I read the words penned by David, I am encouraged to realize true worship does not just flow from a supernatural experience with the Almighty.

Moses is another example of a believer who had his eyes opened and his heart quickened to worship. Most Sunday school children have heard the story of Moses and the burning bush recorded in Exodus 3. In verses 4 to 6 we read, “So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father––the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Moses’ response here seems very familiar, does it not? There is a healthy, reverent fear. There is no glib ‘Hi, good to see you’ attitude which too often accompanies us as we enter into God’s presence.

I have pondered lately a later encounter Moses had with God. In Exodus 33 verses 12 to 20 we read:

“Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

“And He [God] said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

“Then he [Moses] said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

“So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

“And he [Moses] said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

“Then He [God] said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

I find this encounter extremely relevant to my situation. Am I not asking God to show me His glory so that I might worship Him aright? Thus, I believe it is imperative I look at God’s response to Moses. Look again at verse 19. How does God answer Moses’ request:

1) “I will make all My goodness pass before you”

2) “I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you”

3) “I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God responded with a focus on His attributes. Interesting! Thus we must ask ourselves, what do we know about our God? Are we prepared to worship Him in truth? Is God a collection of vague ideas in our minds? Do we strive to know Him?

In other words, do we ‘study’ our God? Do we invest significant time into learning from Him by reading and studying the Scriptures and sitting under biblical preaching and teaching? Are we as concerned about knowing our God’s desires and wishes and demands as we are of knowing those of our boss or our spouse or our parent or our teacher or of some other authority figure in our lives?

If we do not desire to know God, how can we say we worship Him? If we do not worship Him in truth, Jesus said we are not worshiping Him at all. I find these thoughts extremely sobering. Do you?

“The enemy of worship is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong but too weak. . .we have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled. And so our worship has shriveled.” (Quote from article, “We Are Far Too Easily Pleased”)

A primary component of prayer is worship. Our Lord placed it first in the example prayer He gave His disciples. He began what we term ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ by saying, “Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. . .”

Christians for centuries have struggled with prayer. Obviously the disciples felt inadequate in their prayer lives, thus the basis for their questions which led to ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ Since their time, believers across the ages have sought to understand prayer or the purpose of prayer or the right way to pray.

As a result, we have prayer books dating back to the early church. Today’s book shelves sag under the numerous tomes written to explain how to pray or to encourage believer’s to pray. We even have acronyms to help us format our prayers. One popular acronym follows the example set in The Lord’s Prayer. ACTS stands for A-adoration, C-confession, T-thanksgiving, and S-supplication.

However, unless our prayers go beyond the common ‘me’ focus, they contain no aspect of worship. In our last discussion, we looked at The Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology’s definition of worship. They said, “If Christianity is the transformation of rebels into worshipers of God, then it is imperative for the Christian to know and understand what constitutes biblical worship.”

We were also reminded of Jesus’ definition in John 4 where He said true worshipers worship ‘in spirit and in truth.’ Having looked at what it means to worship ‘in spirit’, the goal today is to look at what it means to worship, ‘in truth.’ Returning to The Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology we find the following. “Worship “in truth” connects the heart or spirit of worship with the truth about God and his work of redemption as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.

“Because David understood the importance of worshiping in truth and the necessary linkage between “truth” and the Word of God, he wrote, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear [i.e., worship] your name” (Psalm 86:11; cf. Psalm 145:18). . .The true worship of God is essentially internal, a matter of the heart and spirit rooted in the knowledge of and obedience to the revealed Word of God.”

Everyone worships. Of course not everyone worships the God of heaven. Nonetheless, every religion in the world is based upon worship. For that matter, every life is based upon worship. Every desire is based upon worship.

Obviously, then, there are numerous forms of worship, many of them, however, are not bibilically based. Non-biblical worship flows from an unredeemed heart to an non-existent ‘god.’ It lacks any desire to know　the one true God. Thus it has no desire to even know about Him. Furthermore, the attraction of non-biblical worship is based upon what appeals to the flesh.

Biblical worship, on the other hand, occurs when we are brought face to face with God’s holiness. Remember Isaiah’s response when he saw God? That is true worship! Today God uses His word to awaken our conscience and bring us to true worship. Thus biblical preaching is essential to worship.

Jonathan Edwards put it this way, “In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so requisite, as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious. . .There must be heat in the heart and light in the mind - and no more heat than is justified by the light! If the minister has light without heat, and entertains his [hearers] with learned discourses, without a savor of the power of godliness, or any appearance of fervency of spirit, and zeal for God and the good of souls, he may gratify itching ears, and fill the heads of his people with empty notions; but it will not be very likely to reach their souls. And if, on the other hand, he be driven on with a fierce and intemperate zeal, and vehement heat, without light, he will be likely to kindle the unhallowed flame in his people, and to fire their corrupt passions and affections; but will make them never the better, nor lead them a step towards heaven, but drive them apace the other way. Strong affections for God, rooted in and shaped by truth of Scripture - this is the bone and marrow of biblical worship.”

Are you in a church where the gospel is preached? In depth? In truth? With power? Every Sunday? Are you reading God’s word and actually studying it on a daily basis? If not, how can you expect to worship God aright?

In true worship we stop thinking about ourselves and place our focus upon God. I alluded to that in the last post. Furthermore, acceptable worship requires a surrendering of our will and a devotion to God’s plans and purposes - whatever they may be. It always combines the heart and the head (Rom 10:2), the emotions and the thoughts, the affections and reflection, and doxology (praise) and theology (clear biblical truth). As the article from Desiring God put it, “Religious feelings that do not come from a true apprehension of God are neither holy nor truly free, no matter how intense.”

How, then, can we know if we really have worshiped God? Here are a few questions we should ask ourselves:

- Have I seen God? (not physically, of course, but His attributes and His character through His word)

- Is my response anything like Isaiah’s response? (Have I been humbled? Am I awed?)

- Is my response self-generated? (Am I working myself into a feeling?) Genuine worship is not.

- Is my response an outpouring of my heart to God?

- Am I striving for personal holiness? (Heb 12:14, Mt 5:8)

- Do all my acts, thoughts, and words honor and glorify God?

Next time, Lord willing, we will attempt finish examining the meaning of worship and begin unpacking the meaning of the words used in the opening of ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ For now, I will close with one more quote from the article mentioned above. “The only affections that magnify God’s value are those which come from true apprehensions of His glory. If the feast of worship is rare in the land, it is because there is a famine of the Word of God (Am 8:11-20)”

Do your prayers begin with worship? This is how Jesus began the example prayer He gave His disciples. Remember His words? He said, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. . .”

What is worship? Can you define the term? It is something you feel? Something you say? Something you do? How can one determine if they are really worshiping God?

The Hebrew word shachah and the Greek word, proskuneo account for more than 80% of the words which our English Bibles translate as ‘worship’. Both words mean to ‘bow down.’ Literally translated they mean to kiss the hand to or toward someone in a token of reverence. They are used of expressing respect or making supplication.

Our word, ‘worship’ comes from the Old English word weorthscipe which means ‘worthiness.’ Thus we worship someone because they are ‘worth’ the respect we are giving them by our worship act. John Armstrong said, “The word worship actually goes back to an old Anglo-Saxon word which had in its root form the idea of ascribing worth to someone or something. One dictionary defines it as ‘courtesy or reverence that is paid to worth’.”

Living in a country without royalty, we really have no idea what it means to revere, to reverence, to kneel or prostrate, to do homage or make obeisance. We do not have a cultural basis from which to determine whether we are or are not worshiping God. Even if we desire to follow Jesus’ example, most of us do not really know if we are worshiping God when we pray.

The Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology put it this way, “If Christianity is the transformation of rebels into worshipers of God, then it is imperative for the Christian to know and understand what constitutes biblical worship. One may always consult Webster’s Dictionary for the precise meaning of worship (adore, idolize, esteem worthy, reverence, homage, etc.). Yet truly defining worship proves more difficult because it is both an attitude and an act.”

The Bible is riddled with stories of idolatrous worship. In the end, idolatrous worship caused Israel’s collapse. From all indications, it will destroy America as well. Idolatry is a pervasive disease. It is creeping into our churches and permeating our thoughts. However, once we recognize and admit we have a disease, it becomes imperative we learn the antidote. How, then, can we tell if we are worshiping rightly (for all else is idolatry)?

Jesus defined true worship in His discourse with the Samaritan woman (John 4). He said true worshipers worship ‘in spirit and in truth’. In Psalm 103:1-2 we get a brief glimpse of the true spirit of worship. David says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”

True worship combines numerous aspects, all focused toward one point - the glorification of God. Thus true worship magnifies and glorifies God. It is something we do in God’s presence. It is an outward expression of our inward adoration.

True worship is God-centered reflecting an inward heart which desires to know all about God and is focused on God. Thus true worship combines the outward act of worshiping God with our voices, the inward act of heart-felt obedience in all aspects of our lives, and the instructive act of teaching and admonition from God’s word.

William Temple explained it thus, “For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God; to feed the mind with the truth of God; to purge the imagination by the beauty of God; to open the heart to the love of God; to devote the will to the purpose of God.”

AW Pink defined worship this way, “A redeemed heart occupied with God, expressing itself in adoration and thanksgiving. . .Worship, then, is the occupation of the heart with a known God, and everything that attracts the flesh and its senses, detracts from worship.”

Thus we can begin to define what it means to worship God in spirit. It begins with an inward attitude of humility and dependence upon the One True God. It contains no ‘vanity’, thus it is not pretentious, not false, not puffed up nor based upon an over-rated evaluation of our own merits. It flows from a ‘poor and. . contrite spirit’, thus it is humble and truly dependent upon God.

In other words, to worship God in spirit requires us to delve into our hearts seeking to root out those prideful thoughts, those self-sufficient attitudes, and those pre-conceived notions of our own merit. It requires us to recognize our creatureliness and God’s infinite holiness. It causes us to come with an deep recognition of our own unworthiness.

Remember the publican and the Pharisee? Remember their prayers? Remember Jesus response? In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus tells a story directly related to the heart attitude we bring before God. “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank You that I am not like other men––extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Clearly our heart attitude is extremely important when we come before God in worship. However, how often do we even think about our heart? We come to church, or to our prayer time, or to our weekly Bible Study with the cares of the world tumbling around in our minds. Too often we harbor the idea we can walk right from the boardroom to the prayer room and God will be pleased just to have us show up.

Do you see the heart attitude behind these actions? Are we not assuming God wants　or needs us to be there? That He is the lesser which we are gracing with our presence? That the act of physically showing up is our part and thus He is required to be pleased and even to reward us?

Dear God, what does that say about our opinion of ourselves? Are we not proud? Are we not haughty? Are we coming with hearts brimming with thanksgiving and praise for ‘all His benefits’? Are we trembling before Him? Do we possess a ‘poor and contrite spirit’? Oh how often I fear we do not! This begs the question, ‘Is our normal mode and form of worship, then, not idolatry - at least in part?’

As part of my continued reading, studying, and meditating on the subject of prayer, I have been reading C.S. Lewis’ book  “Letters To Malcolm”. In Chapter 8 he delves into the subject of petitionary prayers. I found it very applicable to real life as well as worth pondering. Thus I wanted to share some excerpts with you.

 ”The distance between the abstract, “Does God hear petitionary prayers?” and the concrete, “Will He - can He - grant our prayers for. . . ?” is apparently infinite.”

Of course after we pray, the first answer we receive is usually - wait. “While you wait, you still have to go on living - if only one could go underground, hibernate, sleep it out. And then . . .the horrible by-products of anxiety; the incessant, circular movement of the thoughts, even the Pagan temptation to keep watch for irrational omens. And one prays; but mainly such prayers as are themselves a form of anguish.

“Some peole feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith. I don’t agree at all. They are afflications, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the Passion of Christ. For the beginning of the Passion - the first move, so to speak - is in Gethsemane. And in Gethsemane a very strange and significant thing seems to have happened. . .

“Lest any trial incident to humanity should be lacking, the torments of hope - of suspense, anxiety - were at the last moment loosed upon Him [Christ] - the supposed possibility that, after all, He might, He just conceivably might, be spared the supreme horror.

“We all try to accept with some sort of submission our afflictions when they actually arrive. But the prayer in Gethsemane shows that the preceding anxiety is equally God’s will and equally part of our human destiny. The perfect Man experienced it. And the servant is not greater than the master. We are Christians, not Stoics.

“Does not every movement in the Passion write large some common element in the sufferings of our race? First the prayer of anguish; not granted. Then He turns to His friends. They are asleep - as ours, or we, are so often, or busy, or away, or preoccupied. Then He faces the Church; the very Church that He brought into existence. It condemns Him. This also is characteristic. . .But there seems to be another chance. There is the State; in this case, the Roman state. Its pretensions are far lower than those of the Jewish church. . .But even now all is not lost. There is still an appeal to the People - the poor and simple whom He had blessed, whom He had healed and fed and taught, to whom He Himself belongs. But they have become overnight (it is nothing unusual) a murderous rabble shouting for His blood. There is, then, nothing left but God. And to God, God’s last words are, “Why hast Thou forsaken me?”

“. . .The humans situation writ large. These are among the things it means to be a man. Every rope breaks when you seize it. Every door is slammed shut as you reach it. To be like the fox at the end of the run; the earths all staked.”

Next time we face a TOUGH situation, may we remember our Lord has faced this, too. We can come to Him in all confidence knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, He knows exactly how we feel when we have reached bottom and all our anxious cares seem to drown out our very life.

I recently read a comment which caused me to pause and think. In his review of the book “A Praying Life ” by Paul Miller, Tim Challies says, “Miller says rightly, I’m sure, that many people fail to pray properly because they are pursuing prayer rather than God. Ironically, they make prayer their focus instead of focusing on the one to whom they are praying. Prayer becomes an end in itself rather than the means to relationship with God. No wonder, then, that we struggle!”

Something so simple yet so profound. As we continue our study on a Christian attitude toward prayer and seek biblical direction in enhancing and deepening our prayer life, we will do well to keep these thoughts in mind.

Last time we looked at prayer we did some background exploration in preparation for digging into King Jehoshophat’s prayer to God as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20. I gave a little background information on where Jehoshophat was coming from so we could better understand and appreciate what he says in his prayer. With that foundation in mind, let’s dig deeper into the prayer itself.

In the previous post we noted Jehoshophat’s response to imminent danger and possible destruction was to call the people together to pray and fast. The nation’s response is very telling. 2 Chronicles 20:4 says, “So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.”

The prayer of King Jehoshophat, recorded in 2 Chronicles 20, is one of the most beautiful and instructive prayers recorded in Scripture. As Matthew Henry said, “. . .an excellent prayer it is.” As such, it is quite instructive to those of us who are seeking to develop and strengthen our prayer life.

There is always a ‘reason’ behind our prayers - some motivating factors which drive us to God’s throne. Thus, before we look at the prayer, I believe it is instructive to know a bit about the man praying.

Jehoshophat was king of Judah. He was king after Judah and Israel split. During his reign, Ahab ruled Israel. Ahab was an ungodly king whose wife, Jezebel, encouraged and led the nation into serious idolatry. He was also king during Elijah’s time.

If you remember Elijah prophesied against the sinfulness of Israel and its leaders. Elijah also, on God’s command, prayed for no rain to fall upon Israel, and it did not rain for three years. Thus, this was a time of stark contrasts and powerful prayers.

Jehoshophat was the son of Asa. Asa had been a decent king. When confronted by Azariah the prophet, he repented and reinstituted the proper worship of God throughout Judah. However, when faced with Syria’s armies, instead of turning to God for help, Asa turned to bribery and alliances with the enemy.

As a result, the end of Asa’s reign was less than the beginning. He imprisoned God’s prophet who spoke against his actions with Syria, and he oppressed some of the people. When, as a result, God sent him a disease, he sought the help of doctors instead of turning back to God. Thus he died. (You can read his story in 2 Chronicles 15 and 16)

After Asa’s death, Jehoshophat ascended to Judah’s throne. He began his reign by strengthening Judah. One of the first statements recorded about him said, God was with him “because he walked in. . .the. . .ways of. . .David” (17:3-9). What exactly did he do? We are told he walked in God’s commandments and delighted in God’s ways. As a result, Jehoshophat removed the idols and images in the land, and sent teachers throughout the land to teach his people ‘the book of the law’.

However, like his father, David, Jehoshophat made a very foolish decision. He aligned himself with the wicked King Ahab. In fact, he allied himself in two ways. First, he married his son, Jehoram, to Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. Second, he went to visit Ahab and, while there, agreed to go to war with Ahab against Israel’s enemies.

If that were not enough, when the godly prophet Micaiah prophesied of Ahab’s death in this battle, Jehoshophat agreed to go out in his kingly garb while Ahab went in disguise. It is easy to understand why this plot appealed to Ahab, but Jehoshophat’s actions are puzzling indeed.

Nonetheless, God rescued Jehoshophat from the enemies’ arrows and Ahab was killed as God had said. Furthermore, when God reproved Jehoshophat for his alliance with wicked Ahab, (as recorded in chapter 19) Jehoshophat repented. The rest of chapter 19 is a record of the righteous acts which Jehoshophat did, acts which show his repentance.

As often happens, the next test was on the way. Thus chapter 20 begins with the news an army is coming against Jehoshophat and Judah. While God had previously blessed Jehoshophat with peace by causing his enemies to fear him (17:10-11), God had apparently removed this protection. Thus a large army had gathered and was marching upon the land.

If you have read the story, your mind cannot help but run back to the two previous scenes. The first of Asa, Jehoshophat’s father, who had bribed his way to peace using some of the temple treasures. The second of Ahab, Israel’s king, who had gathered his armies (and enticed Jehoshophat and his armies to join him) in battle against his enemies.

If these past battles come to our mind, how much more would they likely have come to Jehoshophat’s mind (and the minds of the people of Judah). What did Jehoshophat do? What plan of defense did he devise? What would you have done?

Chapter 20 tells us Jehoshophat was afraid! Why was he afraid? Because of God’s earlier wrath against him (19:2)? Because he still felt guilt over his sinful acts with Ahab? Because he knew what his father had done and the results of such actions? Because he saw what had happened to Ahab in battle? Because he was recently nearly killed in battle? Because he knew he deserved punishment?

I am sure all of the above apply. However, I also wonder if at the most basic level Jehoshophat was afraid because he had enjoyed peace up to this point and saw this threat as a sign God had removed His hand of protection from the land. Whatever the reason, Jehoshophat, a king who has enjoyed a peaceful reign, is now facing a ‘great multitude’ which has already entered his territory and is marching upon his kingdom.

A most instructive aspect to this story is what Jehoshophat does and does not do. First, while he most likely sent out an order to assemble his troops, we know this is not his focus because the text does not even record this act. Furthermore, we do not read of his strengthening the fortress or calling to Israel for help (which, by rights, he could easily have done having just helped them in a battle). Nor does he seek to bribe for peace as his father, Asa, had done.

None of these reflect Jehoshophat’s response. Instead, we find him sending out a call - a call to prayer and fasting. Having laid this foundation, next time we will look at Jehoshophat’s further actions, and most specifically, at Jehoshophat’s prayer.

Kay Arthur, in her book “Lord Teach Me To Pray” points out “the Lord’s prayer is a collection of index sentences, covering every element of pryaer. Therefore, when you follow sentence by sentence, principle by principle, you find yourself covering every possible aspect of prayer.”

With that in mind, let’s look at the Lord’s prayer briefly to see what subject / topics are covered.

 ”Our Father who art in heaven” - What does this element of this ‘example’ prayer teach us to pray about? Would you say, God’s power and omnipotence? What about His ‘fatherhood’ and approachableness?

“Hallowed by Thy name” This clearly teaches us to approach with humility. Would this not also include a proper level of respect? What about an understanding that we are coming to God - the One above all? Furthermore, does this not also suggest our prayers should include a time of honoring and praising God?

“Thy kingdom come” Surely this must suggest we are to recognize and desire God’s control over all of heaven and earth. Furthermore, does this not also suggest we are to pray for zeal for God’s kingdom as well as the advancement of that kingdom here on earth?

“Thy will be done” Without doubt this is a recognition God’s sovereign power over all of His creatures and all their acts. However, would it not also be appropriate to say this phrase teaches us to pray for God’s will in each and every situation we bring before His throne?

“On earth as it is in heaven” I would take this to be teaching us to remember God rules everywhere - even on earth, even when it does not seem like it. Perhaps, however, this is also telling us to ask for God’s will to be done on earth?

“Give us this day our daily bread” This seems quite cut and dried. In Matthew Jesus told us to not worry about our daily needs because our Father will provide them. Does this phrase, then, not command us to pray for the provisions we need? While we take these things for granted most of the time, does it not seem this is a wrong response based on this statement?

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Ouch! This one always hits home. “As we have forgiven” . Clearly this is telling us we MUST forgive if we are to be forgiven. Are we not to ask, based on this statement, for the same kind of forgiveness to be extended to us as we are extending to others? Furthermore, does this not remind us of the importance of confessing our sins and asking to be forgiven?

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” While we are told in James that God tempts no man, clearly we are to ask to be delivered from situations which would lead us to sin. Can we then say, it is appropriate to ask to be ‘protected’ from temptation as well as delivered from it?

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever,” It is interesting to see Jesus ‘bookends’ this example prayer with a request for God’s kingdom, power, and glory. To me, then, this implies the double importance of praying for God’s glory FIRST and my needs second. Can we not say, then, that our prayer’s focus should be more heavenward than me-ward?

Dear God - teach me to pray in this way!