Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience.
You hear the prayer in it all.
- Psalm 65:1 (The Message)
Don’t make rash promises,
and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God.
After all, God is in heaven,
and you are here on earth.
So let your words be few.
- Ecc 5:2 (New Living Translation)
But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”
- Hab 2:20 (New Living Translation)
We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us — but you get rid of them once and for all.
- Psalm 65:2-3 (The Message)
--------------------------------
Whether we are standing, kneeling, or laying prostrate before the Lord
our (physical) posture in prayer can shape the character of our prayers in thanksgiving, humility and reverence.
You hear the prayer in it all.
- Psalm 65:1 (The Message)
Don’t make rash promises,
and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God.
After all, God is in heaven,
and you are here on earth.
So let your words be few.
- Ecc 5:2 (New Living Translation)
But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”
- Hab 2:20 (New Living Translation)
We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us — but you get rid of them once and for all.
- Psalm 65:2-3 (The Message)
--------------------------------Whether we are standing, kneeling, or laying prostrate before the Lord
our (physical) posture in prayer can shape the character of our prayers in thanksgiving, humility and reverence.
In our silence, in the presence of the Lord, we cannot remain in his holy presence for long before we are reminded that we are the dust of the earth. Physical posture prepares the way for confession and confession prepares the way of the Lord.
The key to this worship act is confession, not magnification of sin. To confess is to agree with God about what is true, not to wallow in a sea of inescapable depravity. Modern Christianity has made much of the doctrine of the Fall of Humanity and litle of the doctrine of creation. Be reminded worshippers: the original state of creation is blessing and wonder, not sin and curse.
- Adapted from an article by J.D. Walt
1 comment:
Will - What you wrote about in this post took me the last year to learn - and still yet I think it is sinking deep within my soul. Confession of sin is the 1st key element to worship. Embracing God's call and acting in obedience is the next.
Here is what I learned:
(1) Open Our Eyes to Sin: We must release to God our sins and rely on His strength to turn away. In doing so we recommit our lives to God - to keep His commands with all of our heart rather than a divided heart.
(2) Rend Our Hearts: We must remember that God is unfailing in love. We can ask for God's mercy. God will teach us. He will give us wisdom because this is His desire and God can restore us completely. He can heal us.
(3) Bend Our Knees: We must grieve our sins and find refuge in God. He will grant us new life - God rebuilds. The Holy Spirit will guide us. Repentance is the key to revival.
(4) Say Yes: God knows we are inadequate - but He isn't. God knows we are weak but He is strong. He calls us anyway. God calls us out of sin to do His work. Don't miss the opportunities He calls us into. Our obedience is to Worship Him. Yes Lord - send us.
(5) Move Our Feet: We need to pay attention to what grabs our hearts. We need to pray and seek after God's heart and we need to be obedient - because even when we don't think we are the one He's calling - God will put the "clothes of the calling" on us because it simply isn't about us - it is about Him. We we obey Him - This is worship.
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