From Part
III…
And so
Song of Songs ends (in 8:14) with the Beloved’s bid for her Lover to "come
away" with her. As uncomfortable as it might feel to insert Jesus into
such a passionately romantic context, it would be good to remember that it was
Jesus, after all, Who thought up love, sex, and romance and that it was He Who
created wine, poetry, and music. These very things came (and still come) from
Him, my friends…from His Being…from Who He is as a Person.
And now
(and in conclusion) Part IV…
Each of
us, as image-bearers, are endowed with the ability to love so passionately that
it can lead to a state of near insanity if it is not channeled ordinately.
Similarly, our capacities to receive and to be loved can result in the same
thing. God is the same way; but, unlike us, He always acts ordinately and
fittingly, because that is Who He is, and it is impossible for Him to act in
ways contrary to Who He is. The abilities to love and to adore and to worship
are so very Godlike, my friends, for they come from God Himself.
Just as a
husband and a wife invite each other to partake of each other, so also God
invites us to come and partake of Him, and He waits for us to invite Him to
come and partake of us. This, my friends, is the sacrament (or sacred mystery) of worship. And it
extends so far beyond just the singing of songs, the playing of instruments, or
the falling prostrate on our faces before God. This dance of adoration and
worship between Jesus and us is divine
love-making in its purest sense, and it is not just that which the human
physical act of intercourse "images," for it includes the entire
breadth of the enrapturing romance of God Almighty toward us and of us toward
Him. Worship is the fire of our heart’s devotion to God and of His Heart’s
adoration of us. It is what creates the music we play, the songs we sing, and
the poems we write, and it is what brings about such delight in God’s Heart.
During
this foreplay of mutual loving
expression, God prepares us to receive the seed of His Word (which is just a
greater unveiling to us of Who He is). And it is in this impartation—or
impregnation—that God fertilizes the egg of His Image within us that His Life-giving Word
might become incarnate within us (see Jeremiah 31:31-35,
Hebrews 8:10, and Hebrews 10:16). This, too, my friends, is the sacrament of
worship and is, I believe, the ultimate reason why Jesus came: So that we might
be able to, as His Bride, become the corporate Thoughts, Feelings, and Ways of
God. Just as the Eucharist (or the Lord’s Supper) is the sacrament of
remembering the death of Jesus, worship (in Spirit and in Truth—see John
4:24) is the sacrament of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus (our Husband
and Lover) and the resurrection of we the Church (His Bride and Eternal
Beloved).
To be
invited to such an intimate encounter with God—to be invited not just to honor
Him, but to partake of Him (see Psalms 34:8 and 63:5) and to find all our delight
and satisfaction in Him (see Psalm 16:11)—is a mysterious privilege, and it is
one that changes us continually (as I have written previously) from the
inside-out and from the outside-in.
So, you
may very well be asking at this point, "And how does 'practice' fit into
our adoration of God, Dave?" That’s a really good question. But, before I
answer you, though, I want to preface what I write with a perspective
that is often missed in our modern lives, and that’s this: That which is being experienced in
our physical world is only a representation or a reflection of that which is
happening in the spirit realm. (Reread that, and think upon that
thought for a moment.)
Okay...so here’s
my answer to the question...(the one I just put in your mouth)…
For those
of you who are married, do you remember those initial months when you and your
girlfriend or boyfriend were first dating? If you’re like most people, that
particular season of life is not easily forgotten. In delving into such things,
what I want to suggest (and strongly encourage) here is this: Many of the very
things you did when you were dating, such as spending great amounts of time
together, talking with each other, holding hands and snuggling close to each
other, writing of your love for each other, etc., can be adapted and then
adopted (almost readily) into your relationship (read, "courtship") with God.
This can be done both individually and corporately as a community. A biblical
example of God’s Heart on this very thing can be found in Revelation 2:4-5, which
reads as follows: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your
first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the
things you did at first."
As foreign
as it might sound or feel right now, date
God, my friends. Seek Him out, make yourself available to Him, and
ask Him to come and spend time with you. Talk with and open yourself up to
Him, and let Him share a little of Himself with you. AND…(if you will!)…let Him
romance you. Again, and I don’t think this can be overstated, that which is being experienced in
this physical world is only a representation or a reflection of that which is happening in the
spirit realm. Expressed differently, that which happens in the spirit realm is intended to
be reflected or imaged (read, "brought to solid form") in this
physical world. Viewing life in this way can begin to tear down the
dividing wall between that which was heretofore deemed sacred and that which
was viewed as secular. When living in such a manner, EVERYTHING becomes sacred
(because it really is): Sharing the gospel, brushing your teeth, helping your
wife out of a car, taking out the trash, going for a walk, going to church,
returning a phone call, creating a budget, building a stone wall, etc. In 1
Corinthians 10:31, Paul wrote, "So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God." And THAT right there, my friends, is the practice: Doing EVERYTHING
for the glory, honor, and love of God.
Even though I have written of this already, I think it
bears repeating: "God is most glorified (read, “honored, magnified,
hallowed, loved, and worshiped”) in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
(Again, I wish to shout out a very special thank
you to John Piper for illuminating these truths in his seminal book, Desiring God.)
So, to put it all together...worshiping God is doing
everything you do as a way of enjoying Him and finding in Him the satisfaction
of your deepest, most heart-felt longings. Court
God, oh dear ones, love Him, and let Him come for you "like a wild
stag on the spice mountains."
Those very things, my friends, comprise "the practice of sacred
devotion."
Dave
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