September 4, 2023
Melissa Valerio
“‘Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus told her, ‘Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.’” John 4:20-24 (CSB)
One of my favorite things to do in church is to get there early enough to participate in praise and worship before the message starts. Usually about 15 minutes long, we sing songs to the Lord, proclaiming His goodness and telling of all He’s done for us on the cross. I love it so much! It’s the part of service that I can actually participate in and bring to the Lord a song from my heart. While I love to express worship in this way, I also know that it’s not just here that I can offer my worship to Him.
When the Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well, her idea of worship was rooted in traditional customs. Going to a certain mountain to worship. But in truth, Jesus explained that worship doesn’t necessarily take place within a building or at a certain location. God is not limited to a specific place, He is everywhere. True worship occurs everywhere we are, because true worship actually takes place in the heart. God is a Spirit, so in order to worship Him, we must worship Him in spirit. Our spirit directly to His spirit. We were created to worship, and we were saved to worship. When Moses went to Pharaoh and asked him to release the Israelites from bondage, Moses told him that the Lord commands that he let His people go so that they may worship Him (Exodus 8:1). God is the object of our worship, which is why He saved us. He saved the Israelites from Pharaoh to worship Him, and He saved us from Satan, to worship Him.
The way we connect to God is through our heart, soul, and spirit. So how do we grow God in our hearts? The first thing we need is to have the spirit of God living inside of us. That’s the whole basis of salvation. Once we’ve accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us and enables us to communicate with Him. The second thing is that we need to saturate ourselves with God’s truth. Admiring His attributes, acknowledging His sovereignty, accepting His will for our lives. Reading His word and meditating on it. Considering who He is and what He’s done for us. Finding His promises within the Bible and believing them for our own lives. Oftentimes the biggest hindrance to worship is us. We settle on things of this world that we “love” and satisfy ourselves with the mediocre. But God offers more than this world can offer and until we seek Him and His Kingdom first, we cannot experience the abundant life He wishes to give us.
Prayer: Lord God, nothing in this universe deserves more worship than You. Like the Samaritan woman You met with that day, give us the same Living Water our spirits thirst for. We know we cannot live without it. In the name of Your blessed Son, Amen.
Action: Read Isaiah 29:13. God is omniscient, which means He knows everything. He knows what truly holds the most weight in our hearts. If it’s anything but Him, it’s misplaced worship. He died to occupy that space in our hearts. If we don’t allow Him that rightful place, we are not worshipping Him in truth.