Power Verse #5:
| Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. |
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Partner Song #5: Open the Eyes of my Heart by Paul Baloche |
II. Work IN.
The first three exercise stations had to do with Jesus Christ as WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE. These are very important foundations to our relationship with God. If you are unsure about your relationship with God? Please do not hesistate to go back through the first three stations. You must be right with God in relationship before you can have meaningful time of worship.
This is the second workstation involving worship. Level 2. The first was to bring you to a place of direct worship; the meaning of "My God". You are expressing something directly to the living God who created you. One of the effects of worship is a fruitful thought life. Another effect, as we will discuss here, is transformation from doubt to faith.
Worship level 2 = Thirst and Transformation
Quite often I see worship as the psalmist does in Psalm 42, "As the deer panteth after the water so my soul panteth (or thirsts) after thee...". This station deals with the approach to worship where we are thirsty for the presence of God. Quite often prayer is driven by such need, but the same for worship as well. Worship is not based on emotion or how powerful our faith is at some given moment...in fact, it can be quite the opposite. It is often the place where our faith is powered; where struggles of doubt and fear are given over to hope. Take a look at psalms, the Bible's built in worship book, and you will see what I mean.
For our Work-IN regime, lets meditate in ONE psalm in particular- Psalm 42.
See if you can find the elements of THIRST and TRANFORMATION in the worship expressed in psalm 42:
1. Thirst:
- desire for God, struggle, fear, doubt, worry
2. Transformation:
- hope, resolve, faith.
[[To the chief Musician,
Maschil, for the sons of Korah.]] As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for
the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day
and night, while they continually say unto me, Where [is] thy God?
When I remember these [things],
I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with
them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a
multitude that kept holyday.
Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall
yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down
within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of
the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
Deep calleth unto deep at the
noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
[Yet] the LORD will command his
lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song [shall be] with
me, [and] my prayer unto the God of my life.
I will say unto God my rock, Why
hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the
enemy?
[As] with a sword in my bones,
mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where [is] thy
God?
Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall
yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my
God.
III. Work OUT.
This is where our power verse "not growing weary while doing well" should make sense as far as how it is linked to worship. Doing Gods can involve a process over a very long period of time (for example praying for the salvation of a loved one). We need refreshment in what can be periods of deep discouragment and thoughts of giving up along the way. People may have all sorts of things to try to help us, which is great, but our thirst will ultimately and truely be satisfied in the presence of God. Not only that His specific direction is made known to us.
We are talking about transformation through worship!
Transformation from :
fear to faith.
thirst to satisfaction.
worried to hopeful.
discouraged to giving praise.
put down to lifted up.
confusion to decision.
These transformations can happen in part when bearing your heart to a person that you trust and that loves and cares for you. God has given us His body, the church, so this process can begin to take place at a certain level. God has also given us the gift of worship to take this a step further. He completes the process of our transformation from fear to faith enaging both His Word and His Spirit within. Worship is an opening of your heart to God as you would to a person you trust, wholly and completely. There is a depth of conversation in worship that is not possible to have with people. Deep calleth unto Deep (Psalm 42:7).
So, for the exercise, the song "Open the Eyes of my heart (by Paul Baloche)" was chosen especially to express the desire for the presence of the Lord. Come thirsty and desiring of His presence; desiring transformation -
THIRST-
"Open the eyes of my heart I want to see You..."
TRANSFORMATION-
"Pour out Your power and
love"
God Bless You - see you next month for worship level 3!
In His Love,
Paul.
