Once upon a time, I was clueless about what being in God’s presence felt like. In my mind, I thought that I could perhaps have a feeling of His presence only if I was in a physical church building. Recently I found a woman who also had the same thought pattern as myself and perhaps you used to think that way to you still do. This woman was the Samaritan woman who had an encounter with Jesus Christ at Jacob’s well – John 4:3. The woman oblivious of what awaited her as she left her house that bright afternoon met with a man who changed her life forever! You can read up the whole story here – John 4:1- 30
But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.
John 4:23
The above scripture, quite popular right? Yeah but it is noteworthy to recognize that this statement ensued from a conversation Jesus Christ was having with the Samaritan woman who had a notion about worshipping God. One of the things I find laudable about this woman is the fact that she saw the opportunity to be equipped with knowledge and she grasped it. She did not hold back with her questions, she asked them all the way and it seemed like my Jesus was just really happy to satisfy her curiosity and hunger for knowledge and wisdom.
From the conversation, it seems like the woman had become accustomed to the knowledge that the Jews could only worship God in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans could only worship at Mount Gerizim. But after seeing that Jesus seemed to know so much about her and other things, she asked, “So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” – John 4:19.
Then Jesus responded to her saying words that I think are absolutely profound and just affirm for me that God’s word is alive & lives! It was relevant, it is relevant, and will always stay relevant. Jesus said to her, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem“ – John 4:21. This is my reality now, I am currently worshipping God as I write to you, I worship Him all the days of my life with the way I carry myself, the decisions I make, the songs I sing, my dance moves. It really doesn’t matter what my location is or what yours is; all that matters is that you and I make the conscious effort to worship God. Remember worship of God is not just limited to singing or dancing to His glory; Romans 12:1 sums it up for us – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
I love how The Message Translation breaks it down John 4:21-23 for us, it says, “You worship guessing in the dark”. This was so me a few years ago! I was worshipping God in the dark, clueless of His nature, of His ways, of the depth of His love, just clueless and guessing things in the dark. With that said, we really cannot worship God in spirit and in truth if we do not even know Him or if we do not recognize that He is a Spirit and our Spirits need to be alive in Jesus Christ for us to connect with Him intimately in worship. A spirit dead to sin cannot really worship God in truth and spirit, and trust me worshipping God is the best place to be in this world. In the place of worship of Yahweh, all fears, worries, anxiety, cares of the world disappear for God to take center stage. And where God is, there are joy & pleasures forevermore. Trust me, I can attest to this over and over and over, I could go all day just talking about how pleasurable it is to be in God’s presence.
So my dear, if you are still seating on the fence trying to decide whether to say Yes to Jesus or not, He is extending His hand of love to you. He is inviting you to say Yes to Him today just like the Samaritan woman. She said to Him and her life changed completely for the best that she couldn’t contain it. She had to call other villagers around to share her testimony with them, I would love to hear your testimony as well. So say to Jesus today,
“I believe in you Jesus, I love you so much.
Please forgive me for worshipping you in the dark.
Have mercy on me for doing things my own way, help me to know you more Lord.
Help me to worship you in spirit and in truth”.
Amen