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True Worship

I love to watch Worshipers worship. I like to gaze on the Gazers: those who are lost in His presence. I know it may sound strange to some (maybe even a little creepy), but I'm not staring for the sake of being awkward. I simply know that people who gaze on the Beauty of the Holy One have a story to tell. They may see something in Him that I have yet to see. They may know elements of His nature, His holiness, His goodness that I have yet to know. And as I look upon them encountering His Love, I know that they have a redemptive story to tell. All of this, in turn, makes me further see the goodness of God and, in short, it makes me want to be a better worshiper.

Recently, I was pondering what it would have been like to watch Jesus worship while He was on earth. Of course, my first imagination of this was seeing him with hands raised singing a love song to God. I mean, can you imagine hearing the Lamb's song rising to Adonai; to hear the Son glorifying the Father? It excites my heart to think about it! As the excitement of the thought flooded me, my heart was soon struck by the fact that the glory the Father received from the Son had very little to do with a song. As I considered this and what Jesus' worship would have sounded like, the Lord directed me to John 5:19. In this verse, Jesus said of himself, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." Jesus' worship had very little to do with a song, because Jesus' very LIFE was worship.

True worship isn't about music. It's not about hands lifted or knees bowed. It's about following Jesus' example of only doing what we see the Father do. Music will often accompany worship. I often lift my hands and bow my knees when I come before His Majesty. But, oh, to say of my life, that I only do the things that my Father is doing! This is the worship I long to give; not a song or a set time in prayer - I long for the very rhythm of my life to be in step with His. Out of this will flow songs of adoration, movements of praise, and time spent in communion. But if I lose my ability to sing, O, God, let me never lose my ability to love! If I lose my ability to dance, let me never lose my ability to walk in step with You. For when it's all been said, I simply want to be like Jesus. So, today, I fix my eyes on the Author and the Perfecter of my faith...and of my worship, and I say, "Jesus, teach me how to worship in spirit and in truth. Let every other man made standard of what worship is suppose to be fade away. I simply want to gaze on you, the Greatest Worshiper who ever lived."

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