Gratitude and Worship

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness (1 Chron. 16:29).

The pattern that Jesus provided in the Lord’s Prayer serves as a guide for approaching God in prayer. He begins with worship– revering the Father and honoring Him for who He is. I intentionally try to begin my prayers this way rather than going directly to petitions–my need and want list, which in Jesus’s prayer is near the bottom of the list. But instead of worshipping, I usually find myself thanking God. I thank Him for my family, for answered prayers, and for situations that demonstrate that His response exceeds anything I could imagine.

Now gratitude is not a bad thing, in fact Scripture tells us to have grateful hearts, but it is different than worship. They are interconnected, but not at all the same. Gratitude centers on recognizing God’s blessings and being appreciative of them, recognizing God’s goodness in my life.

But in worship, the focus shifts from what God has done to who God is—His character, traits, and sovereignty, all motivated by His loving nature.

Gratitude is about me, but worship is about Him. It lifts the conversation to a higher level and deepens our relationship with Him.

In John 4:23, Jesus tells us that true worshipers worship the Father in Spirit and Truth (note the Trinity). True worship connects with the Holy Spirit, flowing from the depths of our heart, and honors God, our Father, for who He is.

Reassurance

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deut. 31:8).

The promise of never being abandoned nor forsaken is both powerful and comforting. It is the kind of support that can sustain us through life’s challenges.

It is always reassuring to know that a friend or loved one is walking with us through any difficult situation; the presence of someone who stands by us can make all the difference. But knowing that it is God who made this commitment, is beyond reassuring. Although a friend is limited, our God is all-powerful, knowing, loving, and unwavering.

This well-known verse is definitely uplifting and encouraging, but the words preceding it are even more heartening– The Lord Himself goes before you. Some of the difficulties we face are a result of our own actions or choices, but the One who loves us the most is in control of the situation and His motives are always grounded in His love.

God’s love, mercy, and grace are always available. We can find strength and hope in the assurance that the most powerful force in the universe, the Creator of galaxies and the tender of our souls, walks before us and alongside us in every step of our journey.

Father

So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as his own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

Bob Carlisle, Christian singer and songwriter is best known for his song “Butterfly Kisses,” which he wrote for his daughter’s 16th birthday. The song tells the story of the love between a father and daughter as she grew from her birth to her wedding day. Bob said that he had always thought of the song from the perspective of a dad, but I hadn’t thought of its impact upon daughters. In his book he mentioned that he gets a lot of mail from girls who want him to marry their mom, not for romance for mom, but so that they could have a father like him.

I was very blessed in my life to have a father who protected, guided, helped, and provided for his family, even through adulthood. He was by no means perfect, but throughout my life, I never for one moment doubted his love. There are many, many girls and women who are not so fortunate.

But Scripture reminds us that God is the father of the fatherless. He perfectly fills in the imperfections or voids left in our lives by our imperfect earthly fathers. He desires to spend intimate time with us, guiding, providing, helping, and loving us with His 24-7 availability and presence.

The translation of “Abba” in the above scripture is an endearing term, the same one that Jesus used. He wants us to call Him “Daddy.”  He reminds us that He is there for us to provide, listen, guide, and help. He desires to spend quality time with us.

And best of all, He values us as fearfully and wonderfully made, chosen, and redeemed.

Refined

He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord (Malachi 3:3).

I cannot take credit for this story that was either written or told by Angelo Chu, but it really touched my heart and helped me to understand more about our Father’s character and His love.

To better understand the example in the above scripture found in Malachi, a woman visited a silversmith. He explained to her that in order to refine the silver, he had to sit there and hold it in the hottest part of the flame to get rid of the impurities. She asked if he had to sit there and watch it the entire time. He answered yes because if he held it any longer than he was supposed to, the silver would be damaged. She began to see the parallels to us and God’s loving relationship with us.

She then asked the most important question, “How do you know when the silver has been fully refined and fully purified?”

The silversmith looked back at her, smiled and said, “It’s easy…when I can see my image in it.”

Now I See

“…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:3).

Years ago, acquaintances of ours had a baby boy who was born totally blind. At that time, there was no operation or solution that would remedy or even improve his particular impairment. There may not be one yet today. His parents were believers who held on to the words of Jesus from the gospel of John, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”

They were, of course, hoping for a miraculous healing and would certainly give all the glory to God. When we moved away the little boy was just starting school. He was still blind, but doing amazingly well in a regular classroom, socially, academically and spiritually. The works of God were being displayed in him.

We can be sure of God even though His ways are not our ways. He is faithful. He defines love. He is God. We are short-sighted, not always reliable, and love is not always our motive.

The boy is now a man and we’ve since lost contact. I don’t know what’s happening in these chapters in his life, but in my heart, I believe that the works of God are being displayed in him… just as they are in every willing believer.