Time for Worship

Response

Isaiah

Isaiah 6:1–9 CSB

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for. Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me. And he replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive.

With worship driven to a performance base what happens is that we are robbed of the opportunity to respond directly to God.

Worship, in its most basic form, is a dialogue with God, a conversation He initiates with us.

We are often guilty of trying to create worship. We can manipulate emotions with song choices, lighting, and spoken words, but we cannot manufacture worship.

God always initiates the encounter; we cannot create it.

When God revealed Himself to Adam in the garden of Eden, it was at His initiation.

When God revealed Himself to Noah to give instructions on the building of the ark, it was at His initiation.

When God revealed Himself to Abraham to make His covenant, it was at His initiation.

When God revealed Himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush, it was at His initiation.

When Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, it was at His initiation.

when Jesus revealed Himself to Jon on the Isle of Patmos, it was at His initiation.

When God reveals Himself to us, it is at His initiation!

Because God desires communion with us, He initiates a dialogue by revealing Himself through Scripture, music, prayer, or preaching. Many times this dialogue is cut short or may never start, because we allow the people’s response to come to us. If you ever tired to have a conversation with someone who is non-responsive, you understand what is missing when the response of the people is taken away.

provides a beautiful example of how this dialogue should work. Isaiah is engaged in an intense dialogue with God, a dialogue accented by a pattern of revelation-response found throughout Scripture.

If our focus is on music or individuals, it does not matter whether i’s a singer with a guitar or an organist with an attitude. The results are the same: performance -driven worship. That’s when it becomes the idol and no longer a dialogue with God.

Worship is a heart issue. Worship rather than performance is a matter of the heart. David, a skillful musician in his own right, was a “man after God’s own heart.” He certainly was not perfect and made bad decisions and had moral failures and suffered the consequences for those, but his passion as a worshipper and pursuer of God, rather than his mistakes, defined his life. So how do you pursue a heart like God’s?

A Passion for God’s Word.

As Christians a passion for God’s Word is foundational. We spend significant time in doing “church’ things that often at the exclusion of studying and absorbing God’s Word. If we are honest with ourselves, the problem is obvious. Since we generally spend more time listening and doing ‘church’ than pursuing God, our lives are out of balance. To correct our personal course, we must re calibrate through shifting our priorities and focus. While our journey with Christ should not be comprised of meaningless ritual, that journey must be intentional and systematic.

There is really no excuse. It is up to us to make the commitment to spend time with Him every day study and prayer… and then follow through! If our spirits are dry and parched, we will revert to what we know and resulting in empty performances where worship should be abound.

A Passion for God’s Presence

Many have lost their passion for God to revel Himself through worship, because we get lost in the time for preparation, or the ritual it has become. We have become passionate about the music, not His presence.

What would we do if God literally showed up?

God has! He has just done that - shown up! In every biblical account of God’s revelation s followed by passionate, emotional, and life changing response from His people. One of the most spectacular was the dedication of Solomon’s temple in

2 Chronicles 7:1–3 CSB

When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord: For he is good, for his faithful love endures forever.

2 Ch

Do you remember the last time “fire came down from heaven” in your life?

How long has it been since God’s presence was so heavy and think as you were in worship that you could hardly breathe?