The Motivation for Our Worship[1]
D.
Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote that the object of the Bible “is that we may know God
and worship Him more truly. And that is really our reason for considering this
great doctrine of God, because unless we do understand what the Bible tells us
about God, our worship can never be real.”[2]
Jesus
said to the Samaritan woman, “You worship what you do not know” (John 4:22,
RSV). May that never be said of us. I pray that these next five days will whet
our appetites to know who God really is.
Israel’s
great call to worship starts with these three words, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord
our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4, KJV). With so many religions vying for our
attention and allegiance today, I believe every Christian should sense the responsibility
and urgency to learn better how to defend our Christian beliefs. However, our
purpose in this study is purely to gain a better understanding of why our God is
the Lord over all.
Let’s
consider again our anchor story in 2 Chronicles 20. Read verses 5-12. Imagine
you knew nothing about Jehoshaphat’s God. What phrases or statements does he
make that might persuade you that his God is, in fact, the one true God?
Jehoshaphat
boldly professed the God of Israel as the only God they needed. He didn’t’ even
consider calling on any other gods. Polytheism, or the worship of multiple
gods, was popular during that age and continued into New Testament times.
The
Athenians even had an altar to an “unknown god,” just to be sure they didn’t
miss one (Acts 17:23). But God said, “You shall have no other gods before me”
(Exodus 20:3). When we abandon hope in all other sources and place our faith in
the Lord God alone, He will always prove Himself to be the one and only God.
Do
you remember the story in 1 Kings 18 in which Elijah challenged the prophets of
Baal? He put them to the test, saying whichever god-theirs or his-answered by
fire, that was the true God. From morning until night the Baal prophets begged their
god to answer them. They even cut themselves and shouted frantically. But no
fire ever fell on their altar.
When
it was his turn, Elijah had a total of 12 large jars of water poured on the
offering. Please read 1 Kings 18:36-39. God certainly came through for Elijah.
Unlike
Jehoshaphat and Elijah, some of us need to be reminded that God is God (and we
are not).
I
want us to look at two back-to-back confrontations God had with Job. This will
involve more reading than we normally do. However, I really believe we need to
reflect on the truths in these passages.
Begin
by reading Job 38:1-30. Look for evidence God presented to Job that proves on
one can possibly compare to Him. Now read Job’s response in 40:3-5. Notice how
this exchange effectively silenced Job. This was necessary in order to prompt
Job’s next response.
Please
read Job 40:6-14. God’s second confrontation with Job, then read Job’s response
in chapter 42:1-6. Why do you believe Job responded as he did in verse 6?
When
we get a proper perspective of God’s most high position, we, like Job, will be
silenced by true reverence and awe. And ultimately, as we consider His
greatness, we will realize our desperation for Him and repent of our doubt and
self-reliance.
My
Daily Praise
Pray
the prayer of Jehoshaphat right now, in your own words. Like Jehoshaphat, first
proclaim to God who He is. Second, recall before God some specific ways He has
been faithful to you in the past. Finally, boldly remind God of His promises
regarding you and those around you for both now and in the future. This is an
awesome daily exercise.
My
Daily Surrender
There
is one thing that Jehoshaphat, Elijah, and Job all had in common. It is the one
thing that is absolutely necessary for our worship to be pleasing: faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those
who earnestly seek Him.”
Ask
God to reveal to you any ways you don’t completely trust Him and Him alone.
Write your response and ask God to help you in this area.
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