Invocation: The presence of God

In every worship service we have an opening prayer- called an invocation. Sometimes it is printed in the program, other times it just flows through the call to worship, or the music by the praise team. This moment of invocation is our official invitation to God to be present in our worship service. Why? Because we want the presence of God in our midst right? At least I do, I want the presence of God to be in me and evident in my life, and I want to step into the presence of God whenever possible.

But the thought of invocation can be a little confusing too, can’t it? After all, God lives in us, right? And God is everywhere isn’t he? So why do we need to ask him to be present?

And what about other places? We have an invocation at church, should we have an invocation in other places and moments in our lives? I mean, if there is any one place that we should assume God is, church would be the place, right? Seems to be a safe bet to me.

These are some of the things we must think about in our lives. It seems as though what the Bible asks of us is to live a life of invocation- a life of inviting and bringing the presence of God into our midst. Think of Paul’s words in 2 Cor 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” and if you are like me- I want to be free! I want freedom from sin. I want my family to be free, my friends to be free; I want my finances, my health, my attitude- I want all of it to be free by the power of God! So, how do we live this kind of life? A life of invocation and openness to God’s presence in us and around us?

First, we must remember that many times invocation is about awareness. Is there anything more embarrassing than walking around with something stuck on your clothing or on your face you cannot see? A piece of food stuck in your beard, or a dryer sheet stuck on the back of your pants, something like that. You walk around until you see a mirror or some kind friend points it out for you, and all of a sudden the reality sets in; I’be been walking around like THAT?!?!

The fact that you didn’t realize it did not change the reality of what was happening. That is a great illustration for the work of the Holy Spirit. Many times the Spirit is at work in us and around us, but we do not realize it in the moment. We need a moment of realization; either by someone else or in our own hearts. Moments of invocation can often be more about tuning ourselves into the channel of God to be aware of what is happening.

Invocation also invites God fully into situations he has been kept from. In Revelation 3 we are given God’s word to the church in Laodicea and one of the most striking things God says to them is “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Jesus stands at the door and knocks; wanting to come into our lives.

One of the most inconvenient things about our house location is that we cannot get pizza delivery from anywhere! We are in what I like to call the pizza delivery no zone. Now, we used to be able to get pizza delivery at our old place, and I am guessing that many of you all can get pizza delivered to your home- and you should thank Jesus for that blessing today. But can you imagine ordering a pizza, paying for it, getting all excited, but when the pizza delivery guy shows up at the door and knock, not letting him in? Imagine it, your family inside, starving, waiting for the hot delicious pizza, and the delivery is at the door knocking and you just ignore it. What a waste!

But I wonder, can the church, can we as people, do the same thing to God? Are there times in our lives when we ask God to show up and be present, but then when he comes we don’t open the door?

I have seen this first hand as a pastor; when people pray for God’s will in their lives or a situation and when God shows up they run the other direction. They ask God to intervene, but the intervention requires a level of sacrifice, discomfort, or faith they are not ready to give and in the moment they miss it.

Many times in our lives we ask to meet with God- and it seems like God might have shown up, but we failed to meet him.

I love the way that James put it in his letter 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Notice 2 things about this Scripture

1- The emphasis on having a close relationship with God is first placed on us. The Scriptures saw if we draw near to God then he will draw near to us. Many times we assume that if we are not feeling the presence of God that God is at fault, but the reality is that we need to examine our own lives and heart. We are given the responsibility to cultivate a close relationship with God, and then we are given a promise that when we do he will be close to us.

2- Closeness to God is a product of action, not just words. It is through cleansing your hands and purifying your heart that we get close to God. In other words, don’t just talk about it be about it.

Let’s say that I want to go out west on a hunting trip. I can talk about how bad I want to go. I can look up all the outfitters, pay the deposits, make all the plans and reservations- but at some point in order to go on the trip, it takes getting in the car, or boarding the plane, or stepping on the train to make it happen- it takes action and relocation.

I’ve heard it, maybe you have too. Someone who says they want a close walk with Jesus.

Do you go to church- no too busy

Do you read the Bible- not really, I don’t understand it

Do you pray- sometimes, when I need something.

Sounds to me like the distance might not be a God thing...

Last thought… imagine that in our lives, every decision we make we stand in front of 2 doors- one opens up to allow the presence of God to enter, and the other opens so that the presence of the world, or sin, to enter.

For example, you are talking with a friend and the conversation begins to turn to gossip or slander. Do you open the door of the world and begin to slander and gossip alongside of the others, or do you invite in the Spirit of God and turn the conversation into a positive moment offering to pray for the person, offering grace, or just walking away?

You are angry with your spouse or child. Do you open the door to the Spirit of God by talking with them about the conflict and working for a merciful response, or do you open up the door to the spirit of the world by yelling, calling names, and exploding.

My parents always warned me to keep good company, because who we associate with influences us. Or as one wise man once said “Show me your friends and I will show you in 5 years.” Who are you inviting into your life, your home, your heart? The presence of God or the presence of the world?