Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
As the wise men did who came to see the Baby King, who first actions on entering His home were to kneel before Him and worship Him. And, yes, being fully God and fully man, I believe Jesus knew why they were kneeling.
The English word worship comes from the Hebraic word shachah (shaw-khaw') which means to bow down, to kneel, to prostrate one's self to. It is used 172 times in the Old Testament. One of these verses mirrors the verse given today: Psalm 96:9 "O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth."
So, I asked the Lord for a Word for this new year and I got more than I asked for.
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Stand. See. Ask. It is this word ASK that is important. For when we ask a question, we expect to be given an answer. Many times it is not the answer we want so we ignore the answer given. But God says to LISTEN.
LISTEN as defined by dictionary.com
We are to Ask God, Hear God's answer(s), and follow God's directions. That's LISTENING.
Waiting to hear from God also requires Listening for that still small voice. It is not enough to Listen for God's voice if we don't know what God's voice sounds like. And how do we know God's voice? Open our Bibles and spend time with Him in the Word He has written. Seek His face in prayer time with Him. After all it takes at least two people to have a genuine conversation. When it comes to prayer, the other person must be GOD; otherwise we're just talking to ourselves.
The universe does not answer prayer. Sending your requests out into 'the universe' isn't going to do you any good. Neither Allah nor Buddha nor any other created god can hear you, answer you, love you nor die to save you. Only GOD.
Therefore, we should turn to God in prayer. Not just seeking what He has for us in the day we are given, but seeking His face in all its glory and drawing near to Him just to be with Him.
When we are in a romantic relationship with another person, do we separate ourselves from each other? Do we speak to others but not each other? That's not a relationship, that's not even a friendship. God desires our nearness, which is why He draws near to us. He is ever reaching out for close companionship with His people.
Let us draw near to God at the foot of the cross and the empty grave. For it is here that we begin to hear His voice more clearly.
