Ascend into His Presence
ICS Daily Devotions
John 4:23 (NKJV) But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
The Hebrew word for worship means to bow down or prostrate, to fall upon our knees and touch the ground with our forehead. Therefore, worship is the act of paying honour to God. It is a feeling and expression of high adoration and love towards God, and reliance on Him.
Worship is not foreign to the Jewish people because God raised up King David to set up worship. There were worship leaders, choirs, and musicians during David’s time, and it was hardly a quiet worship session. David composed many of the Psalms and Solomon has written more than 1005 songs.
1 Chronicles 6:31 (NKJV) Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest.
1 Chronicles 15:22 (NKJV) Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful
We often take for granted how privileged we are as New Testament saints. We no longer have to kill animals or go through a high priest in order to come into the presence of God because Jesus has become our High Priest and our Mediator, and He has dealt with the sin issue that separated us. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice so that no more sacrifices, or dead works on our parts, is necessary. We now have an unbroken and direct access to God. Therefore, our worship is spirit to Spirit.
To come into praise and worship, first and foremost, we need to be a worshipper of God in our own quiet moments. We don’t need to invite God into our midst because we are the ones who have been invited into the presence of the King.
Think of the privilege we have to worship the God who made us and this universe. When God created man, His primary purpose was so that man would worship Him, but He also wanted to create beings that would worship Him with all their hearts, out of love and choice, and not out of duty or necessity. This why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed in the Garden of Eden.
James 4:8 (NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
This is a spiritual law governing the relationship between God and His worshippers. Any true worshipper whose mind is stead on God would also love the house of God. The spiritual realm is created to operate on this principle. As we draw near to God, He will draw near to you, and when you seek Him, He will be found by you. God gave us free will, so while our spirit may long for God, the soul, which includes our emotions, might decide otherwise. Therefore, we need to initiate to ascend into the presence of God, and the way we do that is through praise and thanksgiving.
Sermon Series: ICS Worship Culture
