Worship is both an action and an attitude. It occurs when I remember how great and worthy God is. It gives me access to the Holy Spirit’s power and opens the door for depths of relationship with The Father. It is seen in the way I prioritize God in my life. Real worship is defined by holy living. It is expressed by my exorbitant love for The One, Who loved me so much that He sacrificed His life for my liberty. Real worship is living in extravagant submission to The Father’s Will. It is non-negotiable for me. Real worship focuses on Who God is-The Omnipotent One, The Omniscient One, The Omnipresent One.
The sixth chapter of Isaiah is referred to as a theophany by Biblical scholars. In this Old Testament passage, we find Isaiah in God’s presence. This scene provides an example of what being in the presence of God can look like and lifts examples of what real worship in our lives should be like. Isaiah is confronted with Who God is and who he is in relation to God. Isaiah saw his limits and God’s limitlessness. Isaiah knew that he was an unclean man, with unclean lips, living among unclean people yet, he did not allow those facts to hinder his experience. He did not focus on himself, he focused on God and being in God’s presence. He did not allow self-absorption and self-centeredness to block his experience of being in God’s presence.
Isaiah 6 offers us four elements of real worship; wonderment, transformation, renewal, and de-centering. Isaiah is awestruck by God’s majesty and holiness while in God’s presence. Awestruck by God’s presence, His holiness and majesty, Isaiah’s experience is beyond his ability to comprehend with the human mind. As a result, Isaiah gives his life completely to God, is renewed and declares, “Here am I, send me.” You and I ought emerge from worship declaring the same. Isaiah’s life was forever changed in God’s presence, he moved from being self-centered to being God-centered. Life-changing worship requires action on our part.
First, we need to prepare for it. I start each day in worship, I study The Word and pray as soon as I awake (Psalm 86:12, Psalm 95:6, Psalm 100:2, Psalm 145:2). I talk to Jesus before I talk to anyone. Every morning, I engage in personal times of praise and worship (Psalm 119:147). On Sunday mornings, I worship The Father before leaving the house. I arrive at Enon already worshipping. I know that to experience life-changing worship, which de-centers, renews and transforms, I must be prepared.
Second, we need to participate in the worship experience. Sadly, have become a culture focused on being entertained. Unfortunately, this need for entertainment does not stop when we come to church. We are so caught up in being entertained that we bring a voyeuristic spirit to worship. Real worship is active. I do not come to church to be entertained, I come to join the angels and saints in eternal praise seeking to encounter God. I do not come to church to be entertained, I come to fulfill Psalm 96:8 which says, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts”.
Third, we need to come to worship with a sense of expectation. When invited to someone’s home, we expect them to be there when we arrive, don’t we? So, why do we come to church and act surprised when God shows up? I expect to God to be in His house when I arrive. I believe The Word and know He is in His holy temple (Habakkuk 2:20). I believe the words of Matthew 18:20, when we gather, God is in our midst. We ought to expect to feel Him, hear Him, and see Him. We ought come to worship open to whatever God wants to do in, with and or through us. We need to come with a prepared heart, an open mind expecting to be changed and inspired to serve God according to His perfect Will. When I worship, I expect God’s good plan for my life to come to pass.
Fourth, we need to come to worship bringing our faith and imagination. Isaiah’s experience required the ability to imagine the impossible. Great faith involves great imagination. Isaiah had strong Biblical imagination, he saw and heard God then responded to His call. To experience life-changing worship, we must be open to the concept of “already but not yet”; imagining what is possible while also living in the present. Real worshippers praise God for promises yet to be fulfilled. Doing this requires imagination and faith. To experience life-changing worship, we need to be able to imagine God changing our lives and have faith that He is able to shape us into the image of Christ.
Real worship transforms us when we present our bodies and lives to The Father as holy and acceptable, living sacrifices (Romans 12;1-2). Real worship affords us the opportunity to come together as the body of Christ to witness the miraculous on the earth; in our lives and in the church. Real worship opens the door to experiencing God’s presence as we move from doing worship to allowing worship to become our lifestyle. I encourage you to embark on a journey toward real worship and having a deeper relationship with The Father. God has more for you; new mercies, miracles, signs and wonders for you to experience, to witness and to perform.
Join me Under The Church Hat for this month’s devotional:
Describe, in less than 250 words, the way you prioritize God in your daily life.
In less than 250 words, describe how you prepare for worship.
Which element of worship do you want to exercise more of; wonderment, transformation, renewal, or de-centering and explain why.
Have you ever experienced God’s presence in the way Isaiah did in Isaiah 6? If so, write out your experience.
Chose a passage of scripture from this devotion to meditate on throughout the month.