Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Worship In Spirit And Truth

Psalm 138:2

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. I will worship…

In this passage King David is declaring his love for the Father. Here, the word worship means to give honor and respect to one who is in authority. It suggests that David knew and understood who God was and shows his reliance on Him. From the time we have known of David in the scriptures, God proved His power in his life. From the days of the shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep, to his anointing by the prophet Nathan to replace King Saul; God established a track record of being a deliverer. For David, this deliverer was also loving and kind in His judgments.

Therefore, from personal experience he is able to truly worship God. The will is our strength of character. It is our determination to do good or evil. The will is also able to reflect our singleness of mind; tenaciousness, and purposefulness. The will is where our resolve and commitment lives. Therefore, our worship must be as David’s. It must have purpose and focus. We must be able to praise and worship God for His many blessings in our own lives. Our worship must be according to our very own personal experiences with God.

Isaiah 29:13

13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Matthew 15:9

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

What a powerful statement about worship! We cannot worship God any other way but with our whole heart, mind and soul. David did not have the Holy Ghost but he understood something we did not. There is truly only one way to love a great and powerful God; with everything that we are. Jesus said how can a man serve two masters? He will hate the one but love the other, or hold to the one and despise the other….our hearts can never be divided. Our worship must be with not only a pure heart, but also our whole heart.

This was the act of giving honor and acknowledgement, of the fact that Jerusalem was the place of the temple of God. It was the only known place of God coming down from heaven to hover over the mercy seat; bringing forgiveness of sins to the Nation. And why would they always look to the east? Many scriptures refer to the Jews looking toward, praying toward, pitching their tents toward…..the east. The Jews believed one day their redeemer would return. All they had was the law and the promise of a Saviour.

Zechariah 14:4

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

How sad the story becomes; when a nation of people have completely ignored the coming of the Saviour and are ignorantly and adamantly looking for the fulfillment of scripture that will take them through the tribulation or “time of Jacob’s trouble.” Yes, He will set foot on the Mount of Olives, but it will be at the time of the end. Even today when we entertain devout Jews or Muslims they are still praying, facing the east. They are still looking for a Redeemer to come. But the truth is, the Redeemer has already come, He has reconciled the entire world to God. His name is, Jesus Christ and His message to the Church is found in

John 4:21-23

21 Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Those who know their God will worship Him in the Spirit and in Truth. They are are sons of God.