SCRIPTURE: It is good that you take hold of one thing (righteousness) and also not let go of the other (wisdom); for the one who fears and worships God [with awe-filled reverence] will come forth with both of them. Ecclesiastes 7:18 AMP
QUOTE: “Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship. When we obey the command to praise God in worship, our deep, essential need to be in relationship with God is nurtured…. Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God – it whets our appetite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship – it deepens.” Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
THOUGHT: It’s as if everything worthwhile starts in worship, the instant you or I have the epiphany that leads to love, awe, and humility toward an eternal being we can’t even see. It’s a fulcrum; a transformed paradigm; a game-changer; a shattered notion of whatever worldview we’ve been living.
Rather than satisfying our hunger for God, true worship deepens our hunger and thirst for something about which the day before we might have said, “oh, that’s not real.” In this way, we don’t come to church to fill up, we come to church to get hungry. Think about that for a minute. Maybe it would be fair to say we are not the consumer, we are the consumed. (In fact, the writer of Hebrews repeated the writer of Deuteronomy, saying: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire [Hebrews 12:28-29; Deuteronomy 4:24].”)
Solomon the wise said true worshippers are in the enviable position of holding onto both righteousness and wisdom as they journey toward eternity. That’s because true worship (think spirit and truth) is the space that we come to, again and again, longing for both, and looking to the only source to see what their fulfillment looks like.
PRAYER: Eternal God, source of righteousness, mouth of wisdom, fulcrum of all history, draw us to your amazing triune self, that we might hunger and thirst for more of you.
Dear Reader,
I’m glad you’re along and I pray you will be blessed, challenged, and encouraged in your faith by something you read here.
There are archives by topic below – now more than 1000 of these daily meditations to browse.
ABOUT ME:
Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
FREE TO YOU:
If you’d like to be notified of this blog each weekday, please look for the little blue “follow” button below (just above the topical search), and welcome!
asipoblog.com 