John 4:23 “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.”
When I think about worship, I think about the music that I listen to; I think about being in church and singing praise songs to the Lord. Worship, however, is so much more than singing songs and listening to praise music; it is a condition of the heart and a state of mind. My worship for God is born in my heart; it fills my thoughts and my mind, and it is expressed through my mouth and through my actions. The Lord calls me to live my life as an act of worship for Him. My worship is about a personal relationship and a spiritual intimacy with my Creator and when I love the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my spirit, my life will be a passionate expression of that love not only to my God, but to those around me. True worship is never something that I need to conjure up; it comes naturally as a result of true intimacy with the Lord.
So often the cares of the world block my intimacy with the Lord; the weight of responsibility and mundane toil and labor takes its toll on me, and I am exhausted and weary. At times, my life reflects the condition of my heart; my countenance is downcast and my soul grows faint from everything that is pulling and tugging at me. It is so easy to get discouraged.
John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” The Spirit of Truth is the Third Person of the Trinity; there is The Father, there is The Son Jesus Christ and there is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and the Greek term here literally means “one called alongside to help,” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts, one who will “be with you” and who takes up permanent residence within those who believe. He is the Spirit of Truth in that He is the source of truth and communicates the truth to those who belong to Him. Apart from Him, we cannot know God’s truth and ultimately, if we do not listen to that small still voice of truth that dwells within us, we will believe the lies the enemy consistently whispers to us.
Thanksgiving, praise, and worship are the exact opposites of discouragement despair and anxiety, and when I move into thanksgiving, an expression of being thankful, and praise of my Lord, when I look up and worship my God with my heart and my soul, my attitude and my countenance will be radically changed, in an instant. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” This same faithful God that promised me salvation for trusting in Him, has also promised me peace when I trust in Him. Think about what will occur when I truly worship Him, when everything around me fades away and grows dim and all that I have within me is communing with my Creator, worshiping my Lord. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can touch me, for it is at that moment that I am sitting in the heavenlies with my Savior and nothing else matters.
– Melody
