The purple flower in the picture is the first bloom of my Iris in my garden. Spring is here! I only plant perennials in my yard, and my Iris are faithful to appear yearly. Perennials have more character than their annual counterpart. Though annuals display color and such variety, the first bad storm sends them fainting to the ground and their leaves wither quickly in the onslaught of summer heat and humidity.
Conversely, perennials hold up, hibernate, endure the ravage through the winter, and persevere. They voluntarily stand to testify joyfully that spring has returned, and they made it one more time despite the dark, damp, moldy trials they have come through. For me, the Iris reminds me that spring invites celebration and new life. It is the invitation for renewal. As I write this blog post, it is raining steadily, but despite the weather, the birds’ morning songs remain unchanged from yesterday’s sunny start. There is no tone of dirge or echo of complaint, only joy of the new day. The cardinals and morning doves, along with the Iris, testify of the glory and worthiness of their creator.
It is the Easter season, and Good Friday holds significance for us as believers. And in creation, despite the heavy reminder of all that transpired on that day long ago, all creation has continued to worship every spring. They have a secret; they always know spring is coming; it is in their DNA. It has been placed there by God himself. I frequently lose sight of the fact that God has also put spring in mine. The minute I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was reborn. God put Easter DNA in me. He gave me the opportunity for continual renewal daily, as I like to refer to it. This one thing best accesses the celebration of this spiritual spring founded in resurrection power —worship!
Worship is the acknowledgment of worthiness. It is a privilege God has reserved for me to express my love and adoration for who He is. The first mention of worship comes in Genesis with the account of Abraham and Isaac when Abraham refers to taking Isaac up the mountain, where he declares, “The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and we will come back to you.”
At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a great example to invite worship when we know from scripture that God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son. Worship and sacrifice to my human heart seem contradictory. I have bought into the false idea that worship is a feeling. But worship is not a feeling but an acknowledgment that goes beyond my feelings. Did I think Abe felt like slaying his beloved Isaac? No, I don’t. But Abraham’s worship was born out of faith. Remember, the scriptures tell us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Worship is more than a perfunctory liturgy. This account is the first and primary lesson in a heart fully surrendered to God. Even though he did not understand how or what would occur, Abraham trusted the Lord more than his experience and more than his feelings.
We too often look at what God asked of Abraham and stop there. But the deeper truth lies in the intimate relationship and trust between God and Abraham. Remember, Abraham stated, “We will return.” True worship occurs when there is only a fully surrendered heart full of trust. I am reminded that In John 4, Jesus Himself told us, “God must be worshipped in spirit and truth.”
There was no deceit, pretense, or distrust at the mountain, only ifs or barriers. This is the place of worship. No amount of raising holy hands, bowing prostate, or catchy contemporary lyrics will replace authentic faith. Nor will acts of worship conjure up faith; faith is a result of walking with, knowing of, and trusting in the Lord personally. Worship arises out of this relationship alone.
Then there is praise. Praise is the instrument He has given me for gratitude. Whether in a voice like the cardinal song or in the display of how He has fearfully and wonderfully made me and the life He has given me. Just like the iris and the morning dove, I can stand up and sing out; a celebration of praise invites a deeper intimacy for the Lord God to dwell with me.
Psalm 22 states that God inhabits the praise of His people. I like to think of it like this. God is omnipresent everywhere, but when I enter into worship and praise Him, He draws nearer than near. Before, He and I were conversing, but praise takes me to the quiet whisper of intimacy and fellowship. It is the most sacred of any love relationship this side of heaven. For me, worship is a place in my heart and spirit. When I use the instrument of praise, I am speaking in the dialect God has given me to express and proclaim my thanksgiving for all He is to me and all He has done,
So why does my worship seem hollow and my tune of praise sound flat in my own ears? First, I have to ask myself, have I let wintry experiences like hurt and disappointment in how life is going or turned out distort my perspective of God and His care for me? How is my level of faith and trust in God? Do I have a no matter what, will we return Abraham’s type of faith? If I don’t, I have to get into my prayer closet and find out with the help of the Holy Spirit what is specifically sabotaging my relationship. I need to journal all the times the Lord has been faithful. Write down answered prayers. Spend more time in the Psalms. Quiet myself from the media, and heaven forbid I turn off my phone and still myself before God. Ask the Lord to refresh me and awaken my Easter DNA once more. Allow joy to poke its head up and bloom even when life’s weeds seem utterly invasive. I made a commitment to listen to a version of “The Blessing” every morning. I especially like the one from Hawaii that was done during the pandemic.
Song of Solomon 2 11-13 says this:
“See the winter is past, the rains are gone. Flowers appear on the earth, the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard throughout the land. The fig trees form its early fruit, the blossoming vines spread their fragrance “Arise, come, my love, my beautiful one, come with me”.
God, the Most High is calling me to worship, inviting me to praise, reminding me spring has come. If you are reading this and have never examined what Christ did on Good Friday and celebrated on Easter morning, I encourage you to think about that. Without a relationship with Jesus, you may have some summer days, and you may survive a few winters that life can throw at you, but you will never experience the eternal spring and resurrection power that he alone can bring. A blessed Easter!
Come back next time when music comes to the vineyard as the series “The Way We Worship” continues.
5oclockworker.com 