“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they slapped Him in the face.
As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!'”
John 19:1-3
“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him.
He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’
An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Luke 22:39, 41-43
“After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed:
‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.’”
John 17:1-5
Like our bodies need the sun, food and water, our souls need to worship God.
God declared in Isaiah 43:7:
“…Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Paul echoes this in his letter to the brothers and sisters in Colossae “…all things have been created through Him (the Son, who is the image of the invisible God) and for Him.” (1:15, 16b)
But like so much of what God’s created, satan has taken our God-given need to worship Him and offers us a cheap counterfeit.
Those who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence (and even some who do) will turn that need to worship toward something else.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.” (Rom. 1:25)
Throughout time people have worshipped everything from vegetation to animals (the living and the golden kind), to the sun, moon, and stars.
But what people mostly worship is one another and themselves. It’s our soul on junk food. There is nothing that will destroy it faster than worshipping people, or seeking to have others worship us, and there is no shortage of ways that people seek to be worshipped, revered, idolized, bowed down to, put on a pedestal, feared.
I don’t know how many people I’ve heard who believed fame and fortune – self worship – to be the ultimate success, and after seeking all the world says is important, or even being thrust into it, fall into a pit of despair once they’ve reached that pinnacle and confessed they said to themselves, “Is this it?”
They’re left feeling empty, broken, and despondent. Many have believed there was nothing else to live for.
The first thing Jesus did is resist the temptation of the devil in the wilderness to worship him.
The devil first tempted Him to stop seeking God by trying to end His time of fasting. Then he tried to lead Him to test God. Ultimately, he tried leading Jesus to worship him.
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” (Matt. 4:8-9)
The devil is methodical and predictable. If he can lead people away from God, he can get them to turn their God-given need for worship onto anything and anyone else, and he’s won.
But Christ shows us the way by telling him, “Away from me, satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. (Deut. 6:13).'” (Matt. 4:10)
When we, too, find ourselves in the desert of life, or the black depths of the oceans, we can be tempted to take any way out, to cut short our suffering, to take satan’s deal, but it’s only a short-cut to despair and regret.
“Deep calls to deep…”
King David wrote these words in Psalm 42 describing a time of great turmoil in his life. It is in these great sufferings of life we hear God calling to us in the deepest recesses of our souls, and we call back to Him from there.
Just as God knows what inhabits the loneliest of deserts and the deepest of ocean floors, God knows what’s in our hearts. Never do we need to be afraid to invite Him into whatever is going on in our hearts and lives.
The only fear we should have is in not calling on Him, on not worshipping Him, and turning instead to something or someone else.
So what is our remedy to keep from being caught off guard? To being tempted to turn to any other form of worship?
Abide!
Abide in the Vine-in Christ, and in His love. Hang on as dearly to Him as a branch holds fast to its vine for nourishment and life.
That is true worship. And from our worship of Him in spirit and in truth, He, our Creator, our King, our Lord, our Sustenance, our Light, our All, will nourish our souls with Himself and give us all we need for the abundant life.
In Him,
Dorci
I’d like to repost one more piece for you, this one from December 2015. I pray you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the beloved Child, the Savior, the King.
***
Oh dear ones, loved so greatly by God, can I ask you to, for just a moment, lay down your tape and scissors? To take your eyes away from the Christmas movies and your ears from the holiday music?
Can I ask you to come take a journey with me? We are going to see a King.
There is a little, ancient town full of people who have come to be counted in the census. All the rooms are full, too.
There is a very young woman who is about ready to give birth. She and her husband have come a long way and she looks tired and uncomfortable. Her labor pains have begun.
“The barn is available,” they’re told.
Humbly, they make their way to the stable. He tries to make her comfortable with a bed of hay as the animals make room for a royal guest.
She gives birth and the pain is soon forgotten as joy overwhelms her. He is perfect in every way. They gaze upon their miracle child, the one given to them by God Himself. There is a feeding trough, and he makes a bed for this tiny baby. The stars are shining on this most special of nights.
Meanwhile, out in the nearby fields, men who only a moment ago were tending sheep now stand in shock and fear as a glorious and heavenly light shines around them and an angel of the Lord appears to them and says,
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The shepherds are barely able to take it in when a whole host of angels appears, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
They grab their staffs and run to the place where this Savior, this long-awaited Messiah has been born. He is beautiful and they can hardly believe it. They have seen the great Shepherd.
Room has been made for this little family of three. They wonder what the future holds in and through this new and precious life.
Sometime later, other worshippers make their way from the east. A star has led some wise men on a journey. It’s been long and dusty, but they’ve been moved by something, Someone, beyond them to make it. They’ve brought gifts suitable to present to royalty: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gold for a King, but not just any king. A King who has chosen to strip Himself of His heavenly robes and crown and become like us.
Frankincense, symbolizing His priesthood, one that would never end.
Myrrh for embalming, for one day in the not-too-distant future, this King will die for the sins of the world.
The star that led them from so far away has stopped directly over the house where the King lay. They step inside and bow before Him and worship Him. They present their gifts, and Mary and Joseph continue to marvel at God’s love, His miracles and His glory.
The world looks different to them now. Suddenly it is filled with hope and love and promise. Under the light of the stars was the Light of the world. Salvation was here.
This, they knew, was no ordinary child.
This was a King.