Repentance: The foundation of true worship.

John 4:23-25
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Praise and worship have seemed to catch fire amongst the many Religious denominations of today. It seems that these terms have become catch phrases for what happens when someone puts some words to music. No doubt, glory is given to God through these songs, but often it seems that there is no accountability or responsibility given to the worshipper to remain true. Is it important that our lives be wholly committed to God before we begin offering our praise to Him? The answer may be in the fact that even today God is still seeking true worshippers. Sinners everywhere may have the some of the abilities that we do to offer praise to him, yet, when a true worshipper connects with a seeking God, there is a difference present.

John 4:23 depicts the almighty God actually seeking out those that are worshipping him the right way. The right way being one of which someone is worshipping in spirit and truth. The truth part of that equation can be as encompassing as the spirit side; meaning it could have multiple definitions. For example, it is important to worship in truth by knowing who He is. But it also means that there is no guile or falseness in the praise. There is no lack of complete commitment.

Often the lack of the commitment in our lives is joined with a lack of repentance, the process of completely turning or dieing away to former things, and choosing to embrace this new path. Many may indeed possess the form, but they are also, however, denying the power.

Many scriptures indicate that repentance and true praise and worship are indeed connected. Some of these would include Paul stating that men should lift up Holy hands, or even Peter stating that we should show forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Repentance in its basest form is a form of praise. Turning from heading your own direction of destruction and instead turning toward God is praise in its purest form. Its saying, God you are the greatest, and I choose to abandon my own way to follow after yours. No wonder God listens to the contrite and repentant. But like the man who had been blind said, “If a man is a worshipper of God, and does his will, God heareth him.” Doing the will of God is eternally connected to being a true worshipper by repentance.

If sin is in the life of an individual, repentance must be introduced for that worshipper to become the example of worship that God is searching for. Luke 15:10 speaks of joy being in the presence of the angels over one sinner repenting. Could this be because now there is a new worshipper being focused on in God’s searching patterns?

If you desire that connection in praise and worship that God wants you to have, the key is to start worshipping in spirit and in truth. A good start in that direction is repentance.

When Praise is the focus.

Matthew 20:30-32
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.
32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

As the two blind men sat on the side of the road, they could hear the commotion of the croud heading their direction. Knowing that Jesus had been in Jericho, and knowing that he was passing this way, probably gave them all the indication that they needed to figure out what the noise was all about. As the crowd came closer, with maybe some of the children in the lead dancing and shouting his name, soon their celebration of this miracle worker being amongst them was interrupted by the undefined and crude shouts of the two blind men. Maybe some of the crowd that had just witnessed a miracle or heard the teaching quickly ran ahead to quiet these two misfits. But the blind men became more unified by their need, and more belligerent with their focus. As Jesus came closer, the disciples could make out the cry of the two men. "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on us." Whether it was their cry for mercy, or the recognition of who he was that got his attention is unknown, but maybe it was both. By crying out that Jesus was the son of David, these blind men announced to all the world that Jesus was their Messiah, and Lord. This is enough to get God's attention.

No doubt many needs had already been met, and no doubt their were many others that gathered around just to receive from Jesus a miracle, but when someone begin to cry out ferverntly that they needed mercy from their messiah, Jesus stopped, and called out to them.

His question to them seems rather odd. He asks them, "What would you have me do?" It is obvious to everyone that they are blind. Their need seems quite apparent, yet Jesus still asks, what is it that you need of me? They could have asked anything at that moment, and I believe that they would have reveived their needs met. What power they possessed in their moment of need, to have the attention of their Messiah. All because, they proclaimed their need for him, and because they proclaimed who he was.

In his presence there are answers to all of our problems and cares. How do we receive access to the power of his recognition or attention? By recognizing that he is near, and proclaiming our need for his mercy, and, more importantly, by declaring who he is. He is Lord. He is God. This catches the attention of God.

Don't dwell on your need, but rather focus on who he is. When Praise is the focus, expect God to stop and extend mercy.

To instruct the soul.

Ps 103:1-2
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Luke 12:16-21 tells of a certain rich man whose fields had been blessed greatly, and as he surveyed his fields of plenty, he responded to those blessings, by declaring that it was time to reward himself. He said, “I’m going to tear down everything that has already been built, and I’m going to build again." He continued, "After all the buildings are built to my specifications, than I will turn and speak to my soul, and instruct it by saying, Soul, take thy ease." Apparently expecting no response from God, imagine the shock, when God proclaimed him a fool, and declared that that night his soul would be required of him. As this man looked at his blessings and the things that God had given him, his response to those blessings and the instructing of his soul defined the rest of his life.

Another scripture gives a little different view. Psalms 103:1-2 may have been written by David, or maybe by some of the ancient Jews that had been in captivity, but most scholars agree that the circumstances surrounding this passage were not as plentiful as the rich man in Luke. But as the writer surveyed his surroundings, he also found the need to instruct his soul. But instead of telling his soul to take his ease, the author said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

How I respond to my environment does matter to God, and how my soul is instructed may define how the rest of my life is lived. No matter the circumstances surrounding me, whither prosperous or poor, I want to instruct my soul to bless the Lord, and to not forget anything that the Lord has done for me. When viewing my successes or looking at my failures, the name of the Lord is to be praised, for without him, there is no success, and because of Him, failure isn’t final.