Saturday, November 8, 2008

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and Worshipped God, the one sitting on the throne, saying, "Amen, Hallelujah!" And a voice went out from the throne, "Praise our God, all His servants, and those who fear Him both small and great." And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and the sound of mighty waters, and the sound of loud thunderings, saying, "Hallelujah, because the Lord God Almighty has begun to reign." Rev. 19:4-6.

The worship in this text has its basis in God's marvelous deliverance of His people from end-time Baylon(Rev. 19:1, 2). In Revelation 4 and 5 worship takes place in response to creation and the cross, just as in the Old Testament, worship responded to God's mighty action in the Exodus. True worship is always about an awarness of the mighty things that the Lord has done for you. And the result of true worship is tangible. When we remember and recite what He has accomplished, it rekindles His mighty power in us and changes our lives.

One Old Testament passage especially unpacks this in detail: 2 Chronicles 20:1-23. The Israelites are under attack, outnumbered three to one. The enemy army has advanced to less than 30 miles from Jerusalem. King Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast and goes to the Temple courts to lead the prayers.

Now, if you were in his shoes, what would you pray about? "O Lord, help us! Do something, please! We're in big trouble!" Prayers get real focused when you are about to die. But Jehoshaphat's actual prayer doesn't sound desperate at all. Instead of whining and begging, he just recounts God's actions in the past. He reminds God of the Exodus and how He had promised the land to the Israelites forever (2 Chron. 20:6-9). Then the king puts God on the spot. "These nations wouldn't even exist if You hadn't spared them at the time of the Exodus!"(see verses 10-12). Through a prophet God assures him not to worry about the battle. The Lord will fight for them.

So what does Jehoshaphat do next? He sends out the Temple choir to lead the army into battle (verses 22, 23). And the enemy perishes. What did the choir sing that day? It wasn't "Trust and Obey"! Rather, they sang, "Give Thanks to the Lord, for His Love Endures Forever." Focused on God, not the problem, they were rehearsing His mighty acts.

And what happened when they did that? It reignited the power of the original act in their midst. The power of the Exodus became a living presence among them. And the result was another mighty act of God to celebrate in the future!

Lord, I'm grateful for all that You have done for me in Christ. I desire to experience His resurrection power in my life today.

God is the fountain of life, and we can have life only as we are in communion with Him. Separated from God, existence may be ours for a little time, but we do not possess life. "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." 1 Timothy 5:6. Only through the surrender of our will to God is it possible for Him to impart life to us. Only by receiving His life through self-surrender is it possible, said Jesus, for these hidden sins, which I have pointed out, to be overcome(TFMB 61).