John 4:23-24
"But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when 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.”
[emphasis mine]
Here, the Apostle John is encapsulating what most of these past weeks' teachings have been focused on; knowing God; Father, Spirit and Son and in doing so developing an intimate fellowship as a Believer. One of the things God began to develop in me as I intentionally focused on cultivating my relationship with Him was luxuriating in His Presence by focusing on His Truth. Praise and worship often work together, but praise is in fact, a component of worship that ushers you into the Presence of God by acknowledging and telling of the good things God has done (showing gratitude and respect, often in song) but worship keeps you in the Presence of God as your core and heart communicate with Him for Who He is and what He means to you (it is the highest form of respect and reverence). I heard an unknown pastor say once that "All living, breathing things can praise, but not all living, breathing things can worship". Today, I am focusing on worship and speaking about cherishing the time we as Christians get to spend with God and how that sacred and private time gives us the privilege to say, “Do Not Disturb! I am BASKing in His Presence".
As we praise God, we see that praise unlocks the door and we walk in, to glory in all the promises of Father God. Once there; this space, this sitting in, this pressing in, this leaning in, is something called worship, but I like to call it BASKing and we will look at that in a moment. “In spirit” referenced in our key Scripture is our spirit connected to the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who in fact helps us to worship. What is worship? Worship is a lifestyle, an attitude and a state of the heart beyond any physical representation we may exhibit [like bowing, being prostrate, moving etc. though these are fine and welcomed by God]. It is again the highest form of respect and reverence to God. An Olde English word meaning "worth ship" --> we tell God what He is worth to us by worshipping Him --> Theologian J.I. Packer describes worship as "giving of glory, praise, honor, and homage to God”.
But what does it mean to BASK in God's Presence and how is that worship? With synonyms like luxuriate, delight, rejoice and revel, the definition of bask gets my spirit so riled up that I can barely contain myself. “To lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure. To take pleasure from something that makes you feel good. To greatly enjoy someone’s positive reaction toward you.” So conversely, when I am exposed to the SON [Jesus] I am exposed to warmth and light and that brings joy and pleasures forever more to me. It also means that God is delighting in me, as I am at the same time delighting in Him and the warmth and light I feel is His pleasure towards me. So, I like to use an acronym to express how you can BASK in God’s Presence in worship to Him. Remember, because it is spirit to Spirit, BASKing in God [and praising and worshiping Him for that matter] is personal, private and intimate, and yours may likely look different than mine.
B- Beauty
A - Awe
S - Sing
K - Kiss
BEAUTY
We don’t physically see God, but we know that He is beautiful, because we know that He is perfect and nothing that is perfect can be anything but beautiful. Love is beauty, mercy is beauty, care is beauty, forgiveness is beauty, all these things and more that characterize and inhabit who God is, are beauty and our minds cannot fully fathom the beauty and perfection that is God. But seeing His beauty by knowing His character is preparing our hearts to worship. In Psalm 27:4 NIV we read, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” [emphasis mine]
AWE
Frozen by the aforementioned beauty of God, we can only be awestruck and proclaim, “God, I am in awe of You and give only You reverence". Again, we cannot fully fathom in our finite human minds the beauty and perfection of God. Look to these Scriptures: Hebrews 12:28 NIV “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Psalm 111:2, 9 NLT “How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in Him should ponder them. He has paid a full ransom for His people. He has guaranteed His Covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring Name He has!" [emphasis mine]
SING
Did you know that God sings over you with joy? So let us sing right back to Him. Worship bubbles up out of a combination of things: Our faith, His attributes, His creation and/or our experiences. You can be in worship quietly BASKing and the Holy Spirit may lay a melody on your heart and words begin to form and suddenly a song is flowing from your lips. God loves that and He is singing right back to you! I am reminded of watching my mom, an anointed Gospel singer, as the church soloist singing to God with such radiant joy on her face and her stature that it inspired me to seek His face too. Zephaniah 3:17 NIV “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior Who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” Psalm 96:1-3 NIV “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.”
KISS
Now finally, we get to give God kisses. 2 Corinthians 13:12 NIV “Greet one another with a Holy kiss.” Here, the Apostle Paul is encouraging unity among brothers and sisters in Christ and an expression of this encouraging one another and also greeting one another is with a holy [not romantic!] kiss. Therefore, doesn’t God deserve our most Holy of Kisses?!!! God is affectionate with us. He might not be physically patting you on the back or looking in your eyes as He hugs you, but please know that His affection is displayed in a thousand ways. The warm sunlight that wakes you in the morning? That’s Him. The cool breeze that caresses your face? That’s Him. That hug from Grandma? Yep, that’s Him too. So, you see, when we speak God’s Word, rejoice over Him and give Him thanks, we are giving Him Holy kisses!
This BASKing in God cycle of giving worship and receiving His warmth doesn’t have to be long, drawn out or complicated or at the expense of your earthly responsibilities. Just gaze upon His beauty, be in awe of Him, sing to Him and give Him holy kisses. And guess what happens? A cycle of both enjoying His Presence and experiencing His Sabbath rest [remember this blog?] is happening and once complete, the result is rejuvenation, energy, strength and peace from God's perspective. Remember to fully enjoy the BASKing by first having a personal relationship with God. Worship is always appropriate, because God is always worthy. You are submitting your worship and your will to God. Watch Him move!
God is delighted in our spirit and truth worship as our focus verse states and that cannot be manipulated by anyone. Even in corporate worship, you are worshipping God alone and BASKing individually. God loves all forms of true worship in the Body of Christ. One of the most important factors in how we worship should be the Holy Spirit that indwells us. Holy Spirit may have you lift your hands, or He may urge you to quietly receive His Presence in a whisper. Again, relationship is key! When you know the Truth about God and suppress that knowledge sinfully, this distorts your view of Him and your relationship with Him. Therefore, that critical relationship that is necessary for BASKing in worship, starts with seeing God rightly through the Truth of His Word. This is vertical communication between you and God the Father, God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. Same power, different experiences and different expressions by different true Christians.
But of course, we know that the ultimate True Worshiper is Jesus. How many times in Scripture do we see Jesus slipping away to pray to His Father and BASK in His Presence? Numerous times, many times. Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42, 5:16 and Matthew 14:13, 23 are a few and I encourage you to go seek those and others out on your own time. But there is one instance that I want to highlight that reflects perfectly what BASKing in God's Presence is all about. In Luke 7, starting at verse 37, we see a sinful woman [who specifically made her way to see Jesus] reverently kissing His feet, weeping over and anointing Him with perfume [foreshadowing His burial preparation] in a room full of people, despite the distractions from the Enemy and a batch of condemning Pharisees. And Jesus rewarded her BASKing worship with forgiveness, Salvation and peace. So, the next time someone tries to manipulate or disturb your worship (and they will!) you tell them: DO NOT DISTURB. I am BASKing in His Presence. Matter of fact, you need not say anything. Keep BASKing in His Presence and they will soon get the hint!
Takeaways for you to remember:
Praise leads you into the Presence of God.
Worship keeps you in the Presence of God.
Worship is personal, private and intimate.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry? [NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References:
1) Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.
2) Packer, J.I. Knowing God. Intervarsity Press IVP Books. Downers Grove, IL. 1973.
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