The Apostle John records the event of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus asks her to draw water for him. This begins a dialogue about water, living water, the Messiah and what correct worship consists of. The woman asks about the place and the manner of worship. Jesus answers her not about the place and manner but about the heart of worship.
… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24 NLT)
The idea that there are those who worship in ‘spirit and in truth’ exposes the reality that there are those who worship but not in ‘sprit and in truth.’ The ‘Father is looking for those who would worship Him in that way’ because there are those who would NOT worship in that way.
Thousands of years ago, King David declared: "How great You are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like You. We have never even heard of another God like You! (2 Samuel 7:22 NLT)
That is worship in ‘spirit and truth.’ That is the kind of worship that the Father is looking for. Worship in ‘spirit and truth’ is worship that recognizes, affirms, proclaims and surrenders to the bigness of God. Worship in ‘spirit and truth’ is worship that recognizes, affirms, proclaims and lives in the reality of the smallness of man.
Bible teacher Louie Giglio puts worship in ‘spirit and truth’ in perspective with this statement:
God is looking for men and women who are willing to be small because they know how big he is---and understand who they are not!
Harry Fosdick writes: God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done.
God is not a ‘cosmic bellboy.’ There is no one like Him. There is no one so awesome, so immense, so potent, so imaginative, so magnificent and so all encompassing. There is no one so caring, so involved, so loving and so sacrificing as the One who came to this earth to free mankind from the plague of sin, shame and death.
Father, teach us to worship in ‘spirit and truth.’ Amen
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