Worship God in the Spirit

The Bible says, "we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh" (Phil 3:3). The flesh does not and cannot worship God. Dr. Ironside said, "Real worship is that of the heart, when the Spirit of God takes the things of Christ and shows them unto us. As we are occupied with Him, true praise and adoration ascend to the Father." Only when the Holy Spirit of God works in and through us can we worship God with true praise and adoration.

The most beautiful example of true worship is when John "was in the Spirit" and saw the Son of man, the Lord Jesus, in His glory. The Bible says, "His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze… and His voice was like the sound of many waters… out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man" (Rev. 1:14–17).

A powerful illustration of this concept also appears in the song "O Holy Night." The lyrics tell how the world "lay in sin and error pining" until Jesus appeared. Then the song climaxes with the great words of the chorus: "Fall on your knees." Every time I hear that heart-thrilling phrase in that song, I do just that, fall on my knees and worship Him.

Then in the Scriptures, we encounter that awesome, holy moment when the woman who "was a sinner… learned that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house. She brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume" (Luke 7:37–38). "Such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers" (John 4:23).

O dear people, we must worship Him in our quiet times, in our homes. He is the High and Holy One. Just tonight, as I was giving thanks for our food, the Spirit of God moved in my heart, and my heart grew so full that I just sat there and wept and worshipped Him.