I was waiting in a very long line for morning coffee on my way to work. Waiting…Being still, gives us time to think…Hit the pause button.
We often do drive through in our spiritual life to. We want quick in, through, and out service. Like any drive through experience, something is missing. There is no relationship formed in a drive through. We see the familiar faces in the windows. We smile, hand over our money and drive on. No time to pause and get acquainted with the one who is helping us get what we came for. It is a drive through, not a worship experience.
Jesus wants His relationship with His children to be more than a drive through experience. Rushing through only when we need something from Him. He prefers that we linger for a long visit. Take time to form a relationship that will last a lifetime. A relationship nurtured with love, praise and worship. A steady relationship In good times and bad.
Passing through a building once or twice a week is not worship. Worship is a 24/7 state of being. A constant lingering acknowledgement of who God is. When we enter His courts, our worship is often interrupted by looking at our watch to see if pastor is running on schedule. Thinking about football games and meal preparation all through the message God is bringing us, leaves little time for worship. We race out…On the road again, until our next drive through experience.
Worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. For me personally, that would be Jesus. The One who has walked me through darkness to see light again. The One who died that I might have life. The One who knows me and forgives me. The One who heals the sick. The One who hears and answers my prayers.
Let us enter His courts with praise…Without distractions. Amazing what we learn in the quiet time of worship.
~Scripture For Today~
Psalms 100
1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (NASB)
Jeremiah 29:12-13
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (NASB)
Psalms 150:6
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (NASB)
~Prayer For Today~
Hello Father! We have had multiple answered prayers this week. We praise and worship You for who You are. We thank You that You are faithful, that You hear our prayers and You answer. Father, we desire more than a drive through experience with You. We pray we can quiet the static in our lives that draws us away from precious time with You. We pray for a relationship that lingers with You. Forgive us for rushing through our time with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.