Come Prepared to Worship the King
ICS Daily Devotions
Psalm 132:7 (NKJV) Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool.
Just like the three Magi who fell down to worship Jesus, the place of worship is the footstool of the Lord. When we worship, we behold His face and are transformed from glory to glory. We become like Him whom we worship. It is also a place where He speaks to us. Keep your spiritual eyes open and your ears tuned to God, and listen to what the Holy Spirit has to say to you during these intimate moments!
True worship is pouring out our hearts before Him in love, adoration, and reverence. God is pleased if we are determined that we will never enter the house of the Lord without offering Him the deepest expression of our spirit. He delights in those who delight in Him—not merely for what He does, but for who He is.
Worship is soaking in the presence of God when the glory falls—a time between you and God. As a church, we should come prepared for worship and begin to hunger for more of God in our lives. We should enter into worship seeking after God without being affected by the schedule or the next thing we need to do, but simply enjoying and being blessed by His presence and listening to what He has to say to our hearts. Habitual sins can be dealt with effectively in His presence as the chain of bondage breaks away. Sicknesses and pain begin to be healed as the anointing, flowing through the presence of God, moves through the minds and bodies of the people.
Worship is not about us but all about God. We want a real encounter with God in worship, just like the Magi came to look for the King of the Jews and to be in His presence. They weren’t going to leave without seeing Him, even when they found Him to be in a manger.
Matthew 2: 11 (NJKV) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Magi gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh as an expression of worship. The three gifts are full of Old Testament symbolism: gold is the symbol of royalty or kingship, emphasising that Jesus is a king; frankincense is the symbol of deity because frankincense was part of the special scent burned on the Altar of Incense within the Holy Place and the smoke penetrated into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies, thus frankincense emphasises Jesus is God; myrrh was associated in the Old Testament with death and embalming.
The Magi had the right posture and attitude towards the King. Likewise, we should also have the right posture and attitude when we worship God with our resources. Each Magi arrived with a gift to worship God. They came prepared to worship Him with the gift to honour the King of the Jews. Similarly, we have come to honour our Saviour and Lord of our lives.
Reflection: What would it look like for you to prepare your heart for worship throughout the week—not just when you arrive at church?
Sermon Series: Worshipping the King of kings
