Worshiping by Faith

There is an old saying that you should “never treasure what you can hold in your hand more than that which you can hold in your heart.” Perhaps it might be better to clarify the statement to say you should “never treasure what you can hold in your hand more than the relationship you have with God your heart.”  Regardless, the thought does bring up some interesting ideas. We, as humans  have a tendency to hold on to that which we can see, hear, and touch, more than that which we must believe by faith.  Perhaps that is part of the attraction of the worship of idols: they are a physical object that one can see and perhaps even touch and so confirms their own existence and then certain actions or powers are assigned to them.

Contrast that with the life of faith that God requires. Our relationship with God is based on what Christ has done for us, a redemption and payment for sin that we could never accomplish on our own. Somehow in the grace of a loving God we are allowed to have a personal relationship with a God whom we cannot see, but through belief and faith in what has been done we respond in an action that shows our belief. Much like a chair we have never seen before, we proceed to sit, never even thinking if it might not support the weight of our body.  We could have said beforehand, “I believe this chair will support my weight,” but if we never sat down, one could call in question whether or not we really believed. However, the moment we rest our bodies in the chair, we show that belief was there. In the same way, we are not saved by “sitting in the chair,” we are saved by trusting in Christ’s finished work. We “sit” by responding in obedience to what He commands. We can read about the cross and Christ’s sufferings, we can see the change that a relationship has made in the lives of many, but it is not anything that we can hold in our hands. I must come to God in faith, not of my own merit, but solely on the merit of the Son of God. It is a work of God, of grace, a divine miracle or restoration. It is a belief that we must act upon to demonstrate our faith.

Now the question: Is worship by faith as well? We are saved by faith, walk daily with Christ in obedience by faith, and by faith we will spend eternity with Him in heaven, but do we worship by faith, now? What does it mean to worship by faith?  Is it some nebulous feeling we trust in or must obtain to really know that we are worshiping God? Must we reach some emotional level to certify that we have indeed been worshiping the Creator of the universe? Perhaps the simplest way to describe what must happen in worship is to remember the illustration of the Fact-Faith-Feeling. Scripture teaches that worship is that obedient response to God’s nature and character. God is holy, perfect, faultless, all powerful, all knowing, all present; these are facts. We accept these facts by faith. How I feel about them does not change their veracity. I can be happy, sad, mad, or even indifferent to a light bulb and it really makes no difference at all, the light will still shine un affected, because that is the nature of the light. God is love and His nature and character does not change with the emotional roller coaster of His creations. God is love. I choose to believe that fact by faith and it may or may not elicit an emotional response. The proof of my believe is not dependent on whether or not I “felt” anything, but on the fact that God is love. 

In a similar fashion, worshiping by faith is not dependent on my emotions, but rather on the fact that God and only God is worthy to receive it. I offer my adoration by faith, not dependent on some emotional signal of confirmation, but based in the fact of who God is and what He has done and continues to do. Feelings may come; many times they do, but I cannot abandon the facts for the hope of some feelings. I must worship by faith. I must trust in the unchanging nature of the God that loved the world enough to provide a way of redemption so that everyone might have the opportunity of recognizing God as He is and responding to Him appropriately. As I worship by faith I declare my trust in God’s character and nature and His worthiness. I must not look to feelings for what only God alone can give. I must worship by faith. I cannot depend on the externals of the music, friends, or feelings to confirm or deny what is worship, but solely in the obedient response to the revealed nature and character of God. I must worship by faith. It is not some mystic jump in the dark, but confidence in the one who created the light. I must worship by faith.

Four Bases Authority

Introduction:

For the past several years my wife and I have lived in the New Orleans area, and besides the yearly hurricane watches, etc., I have learned something interesting about any building, house, even backyard patios constructed in the area: unless there are columns underneath, the foundation will crack or sink because the ground is unstable. This fact underscores an important fact for all of life: we must always build on secure foundations. So, before any discussion on worship and worship practices, it is imperative that we lay down some “support columns” on which we intend to build.

For the basis of this discussion, I would like to borrow from Ralph Neighbour’s Survival Kit for New Believers, [Convention Press, 1981]. I have found it to be a great resource not only for followup for new believers, but foundational for this discussion. There are four foundations from which we base our decisions: the Word of God, History and Tradition, Human Intellect, or Reason, and Personal Experience. I have found that many of the arguments and debates over the subject could have been put in perspective if only the parties involved had realized the truths found in understanding from what foundation we base our opinion.

The Word of God
Scripture, God’s love letter and guide for living is the supreme authority for the believer. All that we think, do and feel is subject to the question: “Is this consistent with the teachings of the Word of God?

It would seem on the surface that if “it's in the Book, that settles it.” However, as many have found there are those who take the Bible and say things that are almost bizarre. For this reason, as we look in God’s Word it is important that we remember some basics of interpretation. First there is the Principle of Context. We must first understand what the passage meant to the people to whom it was written, what the historical context was. A need to understand the passage in its original language as best is possible is a must. For example, there were several words that are interpreted in English as “love” in the Bible. Only by studying these can one determine which was being used. There are many helpful tools for this, so I won’t dwell here. We also need to look at the passage in light of the context of the book in which it was written as well as other related passages in Scripture. This leads us to the next principle, the Principle of Consistency. The teachings of Scripture do not contradict each other. A helpful note is to remember that just because Scripture mentions something, it does not mean that it is teaching that as a principle. For example, the Bible mentions that Judas hung himself, but that does not mean that we need to go out and do the same. We need to look at the whole of Scripture to see what is being said and see if what we are understanding is consistent with the other related passages. There are untold dangers of just looking at verses without looking at the context or consistency.

That being said, the supreme authority, or basis of belief must be God’s Word, His gift to us to teach us His ways and to lead us to an intimate relationship with Himself through His Son. In the case of a tie, with feelings or experience, our logic and reasoning or our traditions and history, Scripture is the final and ultimate authority.

History and Tradition
History and tradition are good; they can keep us from having to “re-invent the wheel” every time we do something. It has been said that those who forget their history tend to repeat it, and that can be readily proven throughout history. History is a great teacher and traditions can link us with the past and give us an appreciation for things that are much bigger than our short span of years. Recently on a Mission trip to Cuba, I was able to visit the old Morro fortress and the firing of the cannon at 9:00 pm. For over the past 400 years, every evening at 9:00 pm a cannon was fired to announce the closing of the harbor. Even though now it is a re-enactment and tourist attraction, none the less as you see the soldiers dressed in the old Spanish costumes with their muskets and hear the sound of the steps across the stone pavement, you can close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago. My understanding has grown as well as my identity with the past is strengthened because of my participation in it.

However, when done without proper understanding of the purpose of the activity, problems can occur. I remember the story of the newlyweds and their first week of cooking supper. The husband noticed that his new bride dutifully cut off a considerable section of a ham they had purchased and set it aside, rather than cook the entire piece. When he asked her why she did it, she only replied, “that’s the way Mama always cooked ham.” So the next time they were at the mother in law’s house the young husband asked his wife’s mother about the ham. “Why do you always cut off one section of the ham before you cook it?” “Oh, that’s simple,” she replied, “I just don’t have any pans big enough to cook it in.” If we are not careful, we can be repeating things that at one time had significance, but the reasons for doing them can be lost over time and we follow practices that may or may not have justification.

Another illustration, perhaps a little closer to the subject. During the semester I ask each new class if they know why we generally have our worship services at about 11:00 am on Sundays. Each semester there are those who had never even considered the question and knew nothing of the rural roots of faith and the fact that in the early days of our country the farmers still had to get some chores done before they left for church. So, by the time they got things together, it was close to noon. By the way, because of this they generally brought a meal and shared it together for a “dinner on the ground.” No where in Scripture is an exact hour given that we must meet for worship. The disciples met on the “first day of the week,” but no specific hour was given. Since that is so, there is nothing sacred about that specific hour and churches should have the liberty to set the hour of worship at a time when it is most convenient for that congregation. When we were serving as missionaries in Panama, I remember a specific church that had their Sunday morning worship service at 7:30 am due the fact they had a tin roof, no air conditioning or fans, and many of the members had to work on Sunday afternoon. The cooler morning hour helped with the brutal tropical heat and it set the course for the day in service to the Lord.

History and tradition can be advisors, they can provide direction when we are not sure of the way, but only when they do not take precedence over Scripture. If Scripture doesn’t prohibit, there can be flexibility.

Human Intellect
The gift of reason and the ability to draw conclusions is one of the most powerful tools given to men by God. God expects us to use wisely what He has provided for us. Great men of old developed the gift of reason given by God to help us understand the universe around us. Mathematics, physics, philosophy, science itself are means by which men and women have expressed their understanding of God’s creation and laws, even when they failed to realize it was His doing. Christians should not be ashamed, or embarrassed in studying these subjects for fear that they will discover something that will destroy their faith. New discoveries simply scratch the surface of the limitless knowledge of God and His creation. The field of Christian apologetics can greatly enhance our ability to deal with these issues.

All truth is God’s truth. We do not discover anything that He did not know beforehand, and our “discovery” is just a way of describing what we see. However, as great as reason and logic are, we must never forget that our logic does have tainted roots; we have clay feet, we all belong to Adam’s race. The story is told of the researcher who was studying fleas. He had his “control” flea and his group of “experimental” fleas. He told both groups to jump and recorded the results. Then, he took tweezers and removed two legs from one of the experimental flea and repeated the command to jump. The flea jumped as before, only not quite as far. He then repeated the experiment after taking two more legs from the flea. After the command to jump the flea obliged by the jumping, but it was even less than the previous one. After recording his findings, he removed the final two legs from the flea and instructed it to jump. The flea did not move, only laid there motionless. As the researcher was drawing his conclusions he wrote the following: “When you remove all the legs from a flea, he cannot hear one thing!” We may laugh at the twisted logic, but it does illustrate that our conclusions are not always without error. Only God can see the whole picture and how it works for His purpose, so we must depend on God’s Word as the ultimate authority and not just our own reasoning ability.

Personal Experience
God grants us life and choices from which we have a myriad of experiences. Many of these become the basis for protective action, like the young man who picked up a hot dish without a pot holder. I can guarantee that he probably didn’t do that again. Verbal instructions are one thing; burned fingers are another, and pot holders can become an instant friend. Life’s experiences aren’t always negative. My salvation experience, getting married, the birth of our children, seeing those you work with grown in the Lord and lead others to Christ are all amazing personal experiences and experiences that I cherish and refer to often.

We link our feelings to our faith through personal experiences. As a youth in Oklahoma, there was no place like Falls Creek in the summer for youth camp. The late ‘60's were filled with protests and demonstrations, but at Falls Creek thousands of students gathered week after week to study the Bible, worship together, and fellowship with one another. The first time I heard the 300 voice choir, a 50 piece band and 5000 other students singing praise to God, I was completely overwhelmed. Surely heaven was opened up and the angel’s themselves were joining the crowds. It was an experience that was life changing for me. I know I am not alone, for many sense deep emotions as we worship, whether inspired by the music, the architecture, the sermon or other things.

As worship becomes more central to our experience, a myriad of experiences in response to worship will follow. Feelings are a part of our human makeup, and God created us that way. A person should not think himself or herself more spiritual if brought to tears during worship as compared to someone else who was not, or the other way around. Comparison with others is not the basis of judgment and we are not the judges.

But we must remember that our sincerity and feelings may be wrong. We do not base our faith on feelings, but on God’s Word; it is by “grace we are saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God.”[Ephesians 2:8] Bob Kauflin tells the story of a visitor to some missionaries in Africa who were moved by the music they heard. When asked what they were singing the missionary said the words to the song are “dogs are brown.” Our emotions and feelings are a tricky slope and we must be very careful not to use them as a measure of our spiritual depth or maturity. As Scripture says, “ the heart is deceitful above all things...” [Jeremiah 17:9] Only God’s Word can link us with the true reality of God’s wisdom and truth, regardless of how we might “feel.” We must live by faith, not be feelings.

On occasions, I have heard some say that they didn’t “feel” like worshiping, or that they didn’t “feel” as though they had worshiped that day: the music was bad, the sermon boring, etc. Without getting into deep of a discussion, it is important that we first have a biblical understanding of what worship is and is not. There exists a plethora of excellent works on that subject. But, statements like “I didn’t feel...” reveal that the basis of their understanding of worship is rooted more in feeling that in obedience and God’s Word.

In worship, we must place our faith in Christ and His Word, regardless of “how we might feel.” Limiting our worship experience to our feelings, places us at the center of worship as the final judge. But worship is not “about us, but about Christ.” We surrender our will, our lives, our actions, even our feelings to Him, regardless how we feel. It is an act of will. Many times our emotions will “catch up” with our will, but it is not necessary for us to worship. We must live in obedience. Consider yourself driving down the highway, the speed limit is 70 mph. and you are traveling between 69-70 mph. You are being “obedient” whether you “feel” that way or not. I also am painfully aware of times that I was listening to some worship songs and so caught up in them that when I looked down at the speedometer, I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to my driving. Was what I doing “worshiping,” when I was really in direct disobedience to the natural laws of the road? There may be a varied set of opinions on that subject, but personally, I think not. I was definitely having an emotional response to the music, but worship cannot happen if we are not in obedience to what God demands. If this causes some doubts on your part, that is fine. Hang in there, keep reading and we’ll keep on asking the Lord for discernment to help us along.

Personal experiences can also be misused as the basis of faith. Let’s say that during a worship service one day that we jumped up came down and did the splits. Immediately afterwords we felt this tremendous “feeling” that we interpret as “worship.” The first thing we do is share that experience with the whole church and tell them, “If you want a deeper experience with God, you must jump up and do the splits! I have done it and it was so wonderful!” I have no doubt that before long there would be a host of others following that example. The only problem is Scripture does not teach us that jumping up and doing the splits is the basis for growth in Christ. If Satan cannot keep us from worshiping Christ, he will push us past the biblical norms so that our basis is not in God’s Word, but in our personal experience. I realize that the example is silly at best, but the truth there remains: Once our worship is based in personal experience rather than His Word, Satan has rendered our worship as ineffective.

So let’s review: history and tradition are wonderful parts of our lives that help us avoid remaking the same mistakes and help up identify with His works and saints of the past. God has given us logic and reason as a gift to help us draw conclusions and live with understanding of that which is around us. Personal experiences and feelings are important, they help us link our faith to our daily lives, but nothing, not history, tradition, logic, human intellect, or personal experience can supersede the ultimate authority over our lives, which is the Word of God! It is always good to go back and see what the basis of our belief or authority is as we study about worship. When a question arises, ask yourself, “On what am I basing this belief, Scripture, History and Tradition, Human Reason or logic, or personal experience?

What About Emotions and Worship?

I would like to respond to a recent note posted on the blog article, “Worship and Entertainment” by a reader:
I thoroughly enjoyed your post and it was very thought provoking. I would like to explore more thought on the role of emotion. While I agree that emotion for the sake of emotion is not worship, there are emotions that well up out of a deep connection with God. I am afraid that we tend to discount emotion as contrived or a surface connection when it can be a part of the most basic expression of our relationship with God. 

I have briefly touched on worship and emotions in previous blogs [Worshiping by Faith, and Worship and Emotions], but this issue is huge in our culture and I believe that there is so much more that needs to be said. Because there are entire books on emotions, I will be the first to say that what is here will not be all that needs to be said, nor do I claim to be the authority to state them. These are only some ideas compiled that I trust can be used without causing too much confusion.

1. Emotions are not evil but are a gift from God. God, Himself, is described as having emotions and we are created in His image.  Zephaniah 3: 17 states: “The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”  The God who created all there is expressed joy in His creation and rejoices. Surely part of being formed in the image of the Creator means that the capacity to feel and express emotions is also a part of who we are. They can be used for evil, but that was not God's purpose for them.

2. We must remember that “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” [Jeremiah 17:9] Our emotions have been tainted by our human nature and must always be subject to the truth of God’s Word. Whether or not we “feel” something is right or wrong is not the basis for truth, but what Scripture. We must evaluate our feelings to make sure that they are consistent with God’s Word.

3. Sometimes our emotions are a result of physical issues and chemical imbalances in the body. These imbalances can weaken our ability to respond correctly, especially in stressful circumstances. I know from personal experience the effects of hypoglycemia [low blood sugar] can have and how now to help control it.

4. When we find ourselves reacting with very strong emotions like outbursts of anger, etc., then they need to become red flags that something is not right in our responses. In these cases, we need to ask ourselves “Why am I responding in this way?” Many times we will come to understand that there is a point of fear, etc., for which we might not have been consciously aware.   Sometimes our emotional responses are tied to a traumatic incident in the past, or the environment in which we were raised. If blowing up and screaming were the norm in someone’s childhood, it is no surprise to find that person repeating the response as an adult in similar situations. As we become aware of the root causes we can begin to process them and respond in a biblical fashion and not just react.   {I highly recommend Peter Scazzero’s book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader for anyone interested in the subject.  Another good article is by Glenn Packiam and his excellent blog post:   http://churchleaders.com/worship/worship-articles/306192-emotions-worship-wrong-glenn-packiam.html }

5. Music and emotions.
Music can express where words alone seem to fail and part of that expression includes our emotions. Music can become an aid for expression for those who have difficulty in expressing how they feel in words. The psalms are replete with examples of praise to God and joyful expressions in the form of a song; many are direct commands to “sing joyfully,” that is, to express joy to God through song. James 5:13 clearly states “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” Since there are many resources covering this aspect, I won’t go any deeper; it is clear that the Scriptures are replete with examples of music and the expression of emotions. Scott Aniol goes further:

“Music provides a language for a right expression of emotion, and good music actually educates our emotions so that they develop to maturity.” “... words cannot adequately express what we feel. Church music– that is, poetry set to music– provides the language we need to express our affections. So in a church service, as we contemplate truth and goodness, we use music to help us take the next step and respond with our affections.” [Scott Aniol: Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship, p. 165-166.]

The key is to keep our focus on God as the center of our worship and not the emotions that the music may evoke, lest we find ourselves worshiping the feelings generated by the music more than God. We have freedom of emotional expression but focused on the root source, not the result.

6. The danger arises when we use emotions as the primary measure of our worship experience; we begin to focus on the result, rather than the cause. Allow me to fall back on the experience I had with my children when we served overseas as missionaries. After a trip that would take me away from home, I always tried to bring the kids something from where I’d been. After a while I noticed that it seemed at times they were more excited about “Daddy, what did you bring me?” than my return. If we are not careful we will begin to focus on the emotions that no doubt come in our worship, but lessen our focus on the reason for our worship.

I hope that this brief discussion helps some and doesn’t muddy the water too much. I do not pretend to have covered it all, but just some talking points for clarity on the subject. Until we are in eternity with God in heaven, I believe there will be this tension between focusing on Christ and our emotions. It is unhealthy to live on either extreme: to deny and refuse to express emotion or to give full reign to whatever we feel. Balance is needed, directed by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Word of God.

Worship in Difficult Times

Worship in Difficult Times
Psalm 57

Few would disagree that worship is important when we face difficult times, but how can we do it? When everything seems to be caving in on us, or the news continues to get worse and worse, we know we need to look to the Father, but at times we seem almost frozen in our tracks. In Psalm 57, David gives us some help as we walk with him as he faces a life and death situation.

It is interesting that Psalm 57 was written to “Do Not Destroy” and although scholars are not exactly sure if this was a tune, a style or even an instrument, its choice is significant in that he is facing certain danger and chooses to write to “Do Not Destroy.” There is a plea even in the choice of tune or style. The song is a prayer, or perhaps it could be said the prayer is a song.

The introduction not only states that to what it was written, and how it was written, but in what circumstances David penned the psalm: fleeing from Saul and hiding in a cave. On at least two occasions David hid in caves while eluding Saul’s pursuit: I Samuel 21 and I Samuel 23. Both times he is delivered by God. In fact, this psalm is just one of many where David is crying out to God for help, but our focus will remain here for right now. That’s the basic context, let’s look at the heart of the song.

Before we understand how worship fits into the picture, we need to trace a progression that is found in the psalm. This is not to provide an in-depth study, but just to highlight the process of David’s prayersong:
    •    He begins with a plea for mercy to God, because “in You I have taken shelter” [v. 1]
    •    “I cry out for help” to God to deliver for enemies, to send love and faithfulness [v. 2]
    •    “I am surrounded by lions,” he describes his circumstances [v. 4]
    •    “I lie down among those who want to devour me,” more about his circumstances [v. 4]
    •    A plea for God to rise up and show His splendor [v. 5]
    •    “I am discouraged,” he describes his feelings [v. 6]
    •    “I am determined,” action based on will, not emotion [v.7]
    •    “I will sing and praise you,” he chooses to praise as an act of the will [v. 7]
    •    “I will wake up at dawn,” he put his time of praise as a priority [v. 8]
    •    “I will give you, thanks,” he chooses to thank God ‘in’ (not for) his circumstance [v. 9]
    •    “I will sing praises to you,” praise and thanksgiving as a testimony [v. 9]
    •    “For your loyal love...and faithfulness,” he focus changes on God’s nature and character [v.10]
    •    He repeats his plea for God to rise up and show His splendor [v. 11]

Notice the progression: (1) calling to God for mercy in the midst of the difficulty, (2) clarification of the difficulty, (3) admission of personal feelings, (4) choosing to praise God as an act of will over emotion, (5) giving thanks “in” the situation [not for], (6) focus on God’s nature and character. His faith is implied in that he goes to God from the outset, but the process is also important because it can serve as a model for how to worship while facing difficult times.

Knowledge of the content is not enough, we must learn to apply what Scripture teaches if we are to experience true change and growth. So let’s apply what David did to deal with the situation. First, we need to go to God for His mercy; He is a merciful and loving God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. David was hiding in a cave, but his confidence was not in the cave, but in God. Our going to Him first is that expression of faith that He is able to handle the situation. We call out to Him.

Secondly, we need to clarify the difficulty. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by cloud of difficulties and need to literally list them out. Many times writing them out on paper helps put them in perspective and even clarify what the real issues are.

Thirdly, we must admit to ourselves and to God how we are feeling. The longer we are in the faith, there exists the temptation to avoid admitting that we are struggling with negative feelings, bitterness, hurt, pride, and even anger against God for allowing some things to happen. David is such a strong example in this area. Time and time again he pours out his deepest hurts and feelings toward God, Himself. How does God respond? Did God whip David into shape for saying such thing? No, God continued to reveal more and more of His nature and character. What David shows is an honesty before God that leads to greater trust, not an anger that pushes itself away from God. In addition to honesty before God, sometimes our pride prevents us from admitting to others that we are struggling with “feelings that we shouldn’t have.” However, being transparent about our feelings before others can be a very helpful tool so long as it does not slide into an excuse for wrong behavior.

Fourthly, perhaps one of the most difficult, is to choose to praise God by an act of will over our feelings. The fact is that we must live by faith, not by feelings. Some might say, “I don’t want to be hypocritical.” Point taken, but please allow me to give a personal example: I am not a “morning person,” however, as an act of the will I still get up at 5:00 am during the school year to get ready. Am I a hypocrite for getting up? No, it would be hypocritical if I said that I enjoy getting up, but acting on my will rather than my emotion does not make me a hypocrite. A mature Christian once told me to choose to act regardless how you feel and your feeling will eventually follow. I have found that to be true. We choose to praise God. Praise Him for His nature, His character, His works, list them out, say them out loud. Recall what He has done for you in the past, His salvation, protection, provision and His very presence in the past. Praising God in the way will lead  to the next part as it did for David.

Fifthly, we begin to give God thanks “in” the situation. I Thess. 5:18 Paul says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice that Paul said “in,” not “for.” Tragedies by their very nature are not something we are thankful for, but we can still be grateful “in,” by an act of the will as we mediate on the goodness of the Lord and all that He has done in the past. Notice also that it is not a command to “feel thankful.” Our feelings must not be the sole measure of our relationship with God. As we enumerate back to God our gratitude for His countless blessings, our emotions will catch up to our minds, which will lead us to the last part of the process.

Sixthly, we focus on God and who He is. As we continue to rehearse in our hearts and minds the greatness of God and the glorious things He has done in Scripture, in the lives of others and in our own life, we begin to realize anew that God is in control, that we can trust Him, that the problems are real, but God is greater than our problems. As we continue in the process we realize that worship has transformed our perception of the difficulty and deepened our understanding of God.

Whether you are in the middle of a terrible situation now or face one next week, go back to some lessons taught by someone who was after “God’s own heart.” Realize how worshiping God can teach us how to respond in the darkest times.

  

What We Can Learn from Abraham and His Life of Worship

We can learn some very important lessons from Abraham and his practice of worship. Many times these worship times were in direct response to God speaking to him. Scripture records only eight occurrences when God speaks Abraham:

(1) Gen. 12:1 – the initial call to leave and go to a country God would show. Notice that God did not give him any other information, and he simply obeys.

(2) Gen. 12:7 – the first promise that God would give his descendants the land around Shechem.
Abraham’s response was to build an altar [worship] and then later he moves to Bethel and builds another altar and worships [Gen. 12:8].  After going to Egypt during a famine and asking Sarah lie about being his wife, Scripture says that “He returned to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. This was the place where he had first built the altar, and there Abram worshiped the Lord.”[Gen. 13:3-4]. Having compromised his integrity with deception, he returns, not only to where he had been geographically, but spiritually as well, and does so by worshiping God.

(3) Gen. 13:14 – God speaks to Abraham when Abraham settles disputes between his servants and the servants of Lot, his nephew, allowing Lot to choose the best and most fertile land in the valley for his flocks, leaving Abraham the area toward Canaan. [Perhaps Abraham had learned that God would supply his needs, since he had returned from Egypt during the famine. Regardless, he had gotten to know God deeper, and expressed his trust that God would provide. ] God repeats and amplifies the meaning of the promise he had previously made, saying that he would make his descendants like the dust of the earth and to “walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you.” [Gen. 13:14-17] Abraham’s response again was to move to Hebron and there he builds another altar. [Gen. 13:18]

When Abraham rescues Lot, he is living in Sodom and is captured by some raiding parties, Melchizedek blesses Abraham saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abraham’s response was offering a tenth of all he had recovered to the king of Salem.  Although this was not a specific instance of God speaking to Abraham, it was an act of worship. [Gen. 14:19-20]

(4) Gen. 15:1-18 – In this extended time with God, God tells him not to be afraid, for He would be his protector.  This is the first time that Abraham speaks back to God. His knowledge of God had grown to the point of wanting answers to his questions: “How can I have descendants, if I haven’t any children?”  God responds not in anger when Abraham asks, but in grace, showing Abraham the stars and declaring that his descendants would outnumber the heavenly bodies. Abraham’s response is faith. “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord considered his response of faith as proof of righteousness.” [Gen. 15:6]  

Once the issue of his descendants is settled, Abraham then asks God about the promise of possessing the land. God instructs him to offer a sacrifice and then God reveals what the future would hold for those descendants: they would be strangers in a foreign country, enslaved for 400 years, then God would bring them out to possess the land, but the sins of those dwelling in the land had not reached its breaking point. Then God declares the specifics of the territory that he would give him: “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” [Gen. 15:18-21] The promise is revealed during an act of worship.

(5) Gen. 17:1-27 – Abraham’s faith seems to weaken when he listens to Sarah and has a child by her servant Hagar, after all, he is 86 and Sarah was 76 and they have been in the land for 10 years. But 13 years later, when Abraham was 99, God reveals more of who He is [“I am the sovereign God”] and specific conditional instructions: “Walk before me and be blameless. Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” [Gen. 17:1-2] Abraham’s response is to simply bow in worship. God repeats his promise of descendants and the possession of the land. God then reveals more of the conditions of His promise: all males must be circumcised. This would set them apart from all those around. The word for “holy,” in one sense, simply means “set apart,” and God was setting them apart for His purposes. Not only does God renew the promise, explaining the conditions, but he changes Abraham and Sarah’s names from Abram and Sarai. The name change expressed a change of  character and call of who they had been to who God wanted them to be. Abraham’s response was immediate obedience to God’s command. [Gen. 17:23]

(6) Gen. 18:1-33 – God’s revealing to Abraham of the destruction of cities of the plain is one of the most well known occurrences of his life. God appeared to Abraham and he bows in worship. [Gen. 18:1-2] In the first part of the chapter God confirms the birth of Isaac, even though he is 99 and Sarah is 90, saying, “Is anything impossible for the Lord?” [Gen. 18:14] God continues to reveal more of His nature and character by sharing what He was about to do to Sodom. One of the longest dialogues between God and man is recorded in the following verses as Abraham’s faith in God’s righteous judgement and grace is developed. From 50, to 40, to 30, to 20, and finally to 10, Abraham is pleading to spare the city on behalf of at least 10 righteous people. The next morning, Abraham goes to the place where he had stood before the Lord and watches the smoke from the destruction of the cities and in doing so expresses his trust that God would do what He had promised.

(7) Gen. 21:12 – In Genesis 20 Abraham falls back into the same pattern of deceit in his response to Abimelech that he had done in Egypt. In chapter 21, Sarah fears for Isaac’s inheritance and demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. God tells Abraham not to worry, that He would bless Ishmael as well. Later when a dispute between the shepherds of Abimelech over a water well, Abraham settles the issue and then worships. [Gen. 21:33]

(8) Gen. 22:1-19 – The best known part of Abraham’s life was when God asks him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham had grown much, but still needed to have his faith solidified.  This was significant in his willingness to offer his only son, since he had just sent Ishmael away.  Notice the progression: [1] God tells him to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice to place He would show him [similar to God first call to Abraham]. [2] Abraham leaves, early in the morning— immediate obedience. [3] After 3 days, Abraham leaves his servants and sees the place in the distance and declares in faith: “We will worship and then return.” [Gen.22:5] [The implication was that both would return. Abraham did not know how God was going to do it, but seemingly just leaves it in God’s hands.] [4] Isaac knows something is wrong and asks his father where the sacrificial animal was. Again Abraham responds in faith: “God will provide for himself the lamb.” [Gen. 22:8] [5] It is not until Isaac is tied and the knife is raise that God intervenes through an angel stopping the sacrifice and providing a ram. Abraham may have failed on occasions before, but in the hardest test, he succeeds and the angel declares, “now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.” [Gen. 22:12] In an ultimate act of worship, that of offering his only son, Abraham reveals his faith and trust is God.  Abraham names the place, “the Lord provides.” [6] Afterward, the angel repeats the promise of the blessing of Abraham’s descendants, their possession of the land and adds, “Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessing on one another using the name of your descendants.” [Gen. 22:18]

Worship is that obedient response to the revelation of God. Worship became a natural response to God’s dealing with Abraham and the ultimate expression of his faith in God.  Our worship should help us to get to know God better, to learn to respond in immediate obedience and trust God, even when the circumstances seem utterly hopeless. As we respond correctly, we will have a heritage to pass along to our descendants that will glorify God as well. So what are some things that we can learn from Abraham and his worship of God? The list is long and I’m sure you might think of more, but I’ll just focus on a few:

1. It may be possible to obey God and not worship, but it is impossible to worship and not be obedient.
2. Worship should motivate us to immediate obedience to what God commands.
3. Worship should help us deepen our relationship and knowledge of God and His character.
4. As we grow in our worship of God, we will be stretched to trust Him in deeper ways.
5. Our obedient response in worship will affect those around us and those we love, sometimes in ways that stretch faith.
6. God is in control and we can trust Him to work for what is for His glory and our ultimate good.
7. Our obedient response in worship leads to a life with no regrets and a heritage to leave to our children.