Day 5 Focus – Worship

When Jesus was at the well talking with the Samaritan woman, He spoke about societal norms and traditions, including ideas about worship. Jesus broke all types of societal norms. First, he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan whom the Jews despised. Second, he was an upstanding man and she was a woman who had been married several times and living with a man not her husband. Men were not to engage in conversation with a woman not your wife in public. Third, he spoke about the traditions about where and how they worshiped God. Samaritans and Jews had differing beliefs on where one ought to worship. But God says in John 4:23-24, a time will come (starting now) when genuine worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth. It won’t matter where we worship, it is a matter of the heart.

As Paul said in his letter to the Romans, your true act of worship is to give ourselves completely to God. Let your bodies be a living sacrifice, acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). True worship involves intimacy with the Father through the ministry of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. The more we spend time in His Presence; the more we desire to see Him in all His Glory. When we look at Moses in Exodus 3:5-6, the first time that we read about him experiencing God’s Glory at the burning bush. What does Moses do immediately? He covers his face because he is afraid to look on the Glory of God. However, later when the Israelites reach Mt. Sinai, Moses asks God to show him His Glory (Exodus 33:18). God hides him on the crevice of the rock and passes by him and let’s Moses see His back (Exodus 33:23). Under the old covenant, only the high priest could enter (beyond the veil) into the Holy of Holies (into the Presence of God) once per year. But God sent His only begotten Son to be our High Priest, and now we have access into His Presence because the veil was torn when Jesus died in our place for our sins.

[16] Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. -2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (KJV)

Today, as we fast and pray, reflect on what we are beholding, what we are seeing and reflecting with our lives. Have we moved past the point in worship where we are afraid to look at His Glory because of what it may show us about ourselves? Are we (now) moving toward a place where we desire to see more of Him and reflect more of His Glory to the world around us?