“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
I treasure natural conversations with others that center around our spiritual walk with God. It was refreshing to open this sort of dialogue with someone close to me just a couple of weeks ago. We talked about God opening doors of opportunity, walking in the will of God, and communing with Him. That conversation stayed with me, and I mulled over one particular portion of it where my friend mentioned prayer, how he just talked to God and told Him he loved Him. His statement convicted me. Besides corporate worship, I couldn’t remember the last time I personally worshiped Him in sustained adoration for who He is; I had bombarded Him lately only with my requests and concerns.
A few days later, a particular worship song reeled in my mind and spirit; I pulled up the song on my cell phone and listened to it on my way to work. I came without an agenda. No requests were made. I needed to feel the closeness of God.
In that intentional moment of worship, I dwelled on Him— His name, His goodness, and His faithfulness. As I entered His presence, three immediate benefits followed: Peace flowed like a river and sustained all throughout that day and even the days that followed (Isaiah 66:12a); like a reset, He became the focal point in all my thoughts, dealings, and interactions with others (Colossians 3:1-4); and I experienced a vulnerable freedom to be myself without reservation or pretense (2 Corinthians 3:17). This spiritual encounter brought about something supernatural with the much needed reminder that the communing intimacy of God is unmatched, paling in comparison with the fellowship of others.
I am thankful the Holy Spirit showed up in my Honda that day. He didn’t shut the door on me and say, “It’s been a long time. Too long.” Like a lifetime, old friend, from my last personal worship encounter to this one, the gap in between didn’t matter; He welcomed me in His presence without guilt or shame. How comforting it is to know that we have an open-door policy with Him always, no matter how long we’ve been away and no matter the condition of our heart!
I am also thankful for the divine conversation with my friend who moved me forward in my faith. It appointed the act of intentional, loving worship. Instead of looking for His hand, I looked for His face. And I found Him.
Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash
God is good , it’s nice when i just talk to God , some may call it praying but i feel like i am having a conversation with him . it often seems one side because i am the one doing all the talking but i still feel He is listening to me and deep inside me i feel He is even glad to hear from me . weird huh ? yes this mean we don’t talk as much as we should My fault Not Gods ! but even so when i do call upon Him is always there with out fell . its been years ago and i don’t remember for sure what the reason for this events was that caused it to take place in my life , but as i am writing this i think it was i did not feel any reason to deserve Gods love ! it was late in the evening and i was still at the office working when God spoke to me. At that time i had two young sons ( when God does talk to me he knows how to talk to me ) he ask if i loved my sons ? i said of course ! Then he said to me , you are My son !!! i have never forgot that night . Your Poem is very beautiful , God is Good Please stay safe . David
Yes, Mark. So true. Thanks for sharing that. Blessings, friend!
Yes, so true. I love the context you put that in. I feel a greater and necessary conviction to treat Him much better than I do. He is worthy of our adoration.
This is a precious reminder. I have a precious friend who has been my bestie for almost four decades. What would she think if I only contacted her to tell her what I needed? No, I contact her regularly to tell her how much she and her friendship mean to me. She does the same with me. I am now going to meditate on Him and have a conversation of adoration with Him later! Thanks for helping me refocus!
my favorite spot with Jesus is always alone. i have not taken the bait that corporate worship songs are where the Holy Spirit is. like us all i love church but i am not worship music centered. i think a modern day problem….even a trick. thank you mel for this post. ❤