After a sleepless night of being very carnal and judgmental
with my beloved husband, I chose to go to the throne, and worship my Redeemer,
who cleanses me of all unrighteousness and sin.
I bowed at the Lord’s feet and repented so I could be forgiven; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. 1 John 1:9
I
could then hear my radio as if it were suddenly amplified, capturing my
attention with this song and I joined in with raised hands and voice!
I must confess that I struggled with my worship a bit at first, still
feeling slightly condemned from the previous night and the deluge of other things wrong with me which seem to flood my mind invariably
at times when I am trying to focus on the beauty and grace of God. At times like this, it takes a determined
choice to PRESS through those distractions and REFUSE to believe anything but God’s truth that says I’m forgiven and
cleansed when I own up to what I’ve done.
I must trust that He throws my sin as far as the East is from the West…how
far is that??? 
It’s as far as forever…it’s forgotten.
In my human filtering and short sightedness, I find that concept
difficult to grasp. I then have to press
past the temptation to disbelieve His TRUTH on the matter and let the
consciousness of the sin go. Today, I
just chose to be done with that; it’s settled!
I chose to believe that truly I am forgiven and can come to Him as a
child, just believing what my Daddy tells me, fully trusting Him. In that moment, I stated out loud for the
benefit of my own ears and any “others” (angelic, demonic, the Lord), which may
be listening, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.
Even though my walk is not yet perfected, the
One who is my Judge sees my heart’s desire to be like Christ and that I am trusting
He will transform me in His timing. We
can give ourselves and others a break in this because it’s a process, not a
magic transformation like a wave of a wand and “poof”…we are completely
different in all ways we think, act and talk once we are born again!
I found myself suddenly flashing back to a dream I had a few days prior but had forgotten until this moment. In this sweet, peaceful
dream, I was singing to God in a voice like the angels. It was the purest sound, flawless, hitting
notes which the most talented artist would struggle and envy. It was pitch perfect and I didn’t want it to
end. Like every dream, however, it did
end.
How does this dream relevantly apply to my worship
experience today? It means that in the
ears of our Lord, when we worship Him in spirit and truth, from a place of
surrender, pouring out our hearts of adoration to the One worthy of all honor,
it is this resonance which is perfection to Him. Just as any parent cherishes the sound of
their precious child singing to them, enjoying it more than listening to the
most accomplished star, so does our Daddy God treasure the voice of His dear
child who is presenting the sacrifice of praise unto Him. It’s fruit from our lips. It’s a sweet savor, a most pleasant aroma,
wafting up to His nostrils as if it were a delicious pot roast stewing in the
oven. It’s the fragrance of the lushest
garden of jasmine.
As I was entering deeper into my demonstration of love for
my Lord, my hands shot up in display of surrender to His HOLINESS and
supremacy, yet as a darling toddler reaching for their daddy to pick them
up. Why is this expression so awkward
and suppressed in our corporate worship experiences? We should all be grasping for Daddy just as I
witness all of my sweet grandchildren holding their hands high in determination
that their daddies (and mommies) will see and answer with a nuzzling cuddle. Again, we just have to press past the fear of
opinion and judgment of others. Who
cares what they think? They are not our
judge; only Daddy is and He will judge this act as lovely and one He desires; “Nevertheless,
the hour is coming, and it is now, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for,
indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship Him. God is a
Spirit, and those worshiping Him must
worship with spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.
What daddy doesn’t want to
reach down and embrace their sweetheart of a child who is so longing to be snuggled
by their parent? God inhabits the praise
of His people. Psalm 22:3 He’s
right there with you when you adore Him and you get a bonus; His enemies
scatter! Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2 This posture of worship, peace and rest not
only honors Him, but is a blessing beyond measure when you offer this act of
worship to your Lord. You will be
blessing the Lord with your adulation of how lovely He is, and in return He
blesses you with chasing away enemies such as fear, doubt, sickness, worry, jealousy,
and other things which torment our soul and keep us from God’s best for our
lives. Strongholds are broken and our
cups run over! He also reveals more of
who He truly is as you enter the throne room of grace and receive that
revelation.
Some of my most lovely, life-changing moments have occurred
while in worship of my Healer, Deliverer, Shield, Wonderful Counselor, Savior,
Protector, Defender, Peace, Shelter, Strong Tower, Strength, Portion, Very
Present Help in time of need; the One who overwhelms me with His mercy and
goodness even though I don’t deserve it.
Like my dream which I didn’t want to end, likewise are these encounters
with my Lord. I want to stay in the
beauty of His presence forever! I am
transformed, renewed, encouraged, and transported to a stature of peace. How I love Him…
I encourage you to go and pour out yourself before your
God. Do this in your own private time
with Him, where no one sees; and do it while in worship at church, where others
will see your unashamed abandon of self. Make the sacrifice to the One who made the
greatest sacrifice for you, and watch the Lover of your soul move on your
behalf.
