“Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.”
Luke 24:51-53 NKJV
I saw a simple and straightforward recipe for worship in Luke 24 today. Truthfully, I thought it mirrored my own personal journey into a lifestyle of worship.
When I first started, my eyes were restrained (v. 16) – kratéō – held in check – until He revealed Himself to me in brokenness (v. 30-31). No amount of reasoning opened my eyes – it was seeing myself and my brokenness through His sacrifice that opened my eyes.
Then I marveled and my heart was kindled within me (v. 32).
Throughout the remainder of the chapter, He appeared to His disciples and taught them. Yes, they marveled, but they didn’t worship until He blessed them and ascended:
He blessed them.
He was lifted up into heaven.
They worshipped Him.
Their joy was restored.
They returned to the temple.
They continually praised and blessed G-d.
The Greek word for worship found in this passage is proskynéō, and means to kiss the hand, like a dog licking his master’s hand; to fawn or crouch: literally or figuratively prostrate oneself in homage; to do reverence to, to adore: to worship.
So often worship is defined or measured by the lyrics of a song or how well the band did Sunday morning. The truth is, worship is a posture – literally and figuratively- of the heart and flesh. Worship is prostrating myself before Him – sure, sometimes I might bow or kneel down physically in worship, but I believe what He really wants from me is a bowing of my heart. When I don’t demand my way, I bow. When I thank instead of complain, I bow. When I quiet the worries and doubt and set my mind on Him, I bow. When I pour out my cares to Him instead of Facebook or friends, I bow.
Worship is a choice I make moment by moment. Personally I believe the songs on Sunday or even the ones in my quiet time are just one expression. I believe true worship is loving G-d and loving our neighbor in all the little, seemingly normal ways in my everyday life. Will I worship Him today through my words and actions or will I be restrained? It’s my choice – may I choose wisely.
Father – thank You for how You open Your word day after day to me. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Luke 24, John 20-21
November 15, 2022