Worship in Spirit
When I sat down to write this devotion, I began thinking about worship and researching Scripture on the subject. We’ve been in a series at church called The Glory, and we’ve been looking closely at the Tabernacle. As I thought about what to write, I was reminded of a story I read recently.
In John 4, we see Jesus traveling through Samaria and stopping at a well for water. A Samaritan woman comes up, and Jesus asks her for a drink. This request, which He obviously knew would happen, started an amazing conversation that led to her discovering the Messiah.
In the middle of the conversation, the woman asks Jesus a question about worship and the proper place for it.
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus replied, "Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." (John 4:19-24 NIV)
The woman was struggling with the question of where to worship. Jesus, knowing what He was about to do on the cross, began talking about how to worship. He knew He would remove the veil so that we could enter God's presence freely (for a deeper dive into the veil, check out Pastor Michael’s message from last weekend by clicking here).
Jesus begins to lay out what truly matters in worship.
Jack Hayford said this about John 4: “What matters is not where one worships but the attitude of heart and mind. True worship is not mere form and ceremony but spiritual reality, which is in harmony with the nature of God, who is Spirit.”
I had never seen this passage like this before.
Hayford goes on to say, “It is the believer’s responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshiped and to explore and cultivate a relationship with Him, out of which sincere, Holy Spirit-enabled worship will flow.”
Jesus follows it being in Spirit with it also being “in truth,” it must be transparent, sincere, and according to Biblical mandates. If God is Spirit, then I cannot find true harmony with God if I am worshiping in the flesh. In other words, true worship cannot come from my own ideas of what worship should be. It can only happen when I seek out how God desires for me to worship Him. Worship isn’t about my preference, but God’s, and our hearts must be connected to it.
How often does our worship become about us? How often is our worship limited by how we feel or what’s happening in the moment?
I believe God’s kind, gentle, and gracious Spirit is calling us into an authentic, deep, and meaningful relationship with Him. We must enter into that relationship God’s way, not our own. Thank God that we don’t have to get it perfect and that His grace covers us. But may we be children who worship in Spirit and in truth.
JOURNAL/ACTIVATION:
In John 4, we see Jesus traveling through Samaria and stopping at a well for water. A Samaritan woman comes up, and Jesus asks her for a drink. This request, which He obviously knew would happen, started an amazing conversation that led to her discovering the Messiah.
In the middle of the conversation, the woman asks Jesus a question about worship and the proper place for it.
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus replied, "Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." (John 4:19-24 NIV)
The woman was struggling with the question of where to worship. Jesus, knowing what He was about to do on the cross, began talking about how to worship. He knew He would remove the veil so that we could enter God's presence freely (for a deeper dive into the veil, check out Pastor Michael’s message from last weekend by clicking here).
Jesus begins to lay out what truly matters in worship.
Jack Hayford said this about John 4: “What matters is not where one worships but the attitude of heart and mind. True worship is not mere form and ceremony but spiritual reality, which is in harmony with the nature of God, who is Spirit.”
I had never seen this passage like this before.
Hayford goes on to say, “It is the believer’s responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshiped and to explore and cultivate a relationship with Him, out of which sincere, Holy Spirit-enabled worship will flow.”
Jesus follows it being in Spirit with it also being “in truth,” it must be transparent, sincere, and according to Biblical mandates. If God is Spirit, then I cannot find true harmony with God if I am worshiping in the flesh. In other words, true worship cannot come from my own ideas of what worship should be. It can only happen when I seek out how God desires for me to worship Him. Worship isn’t about my preference, but God’s, and our hearts must be connected to it.
How often does our worship become about us? How often is our worship limited by how we feel or what’s happening in the moment?
I believe God’s kind, gentle, and gracious Spirit is calling us into an authentic, deep, and meaningful relationship with Him. We must enter into that relationship God’s way, not our own. Thank God that we don’t have to get it perfect and that His grace covers us. But may we be children who worship in Spirit and in truth.
JOURNAL/ACTIVATION:
- Has your worship been sincere? What are some areas in your life where you have worshiped in your own way or gone through the motions?
- After seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, how do you feel He is leading you to grow in your worship?
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