Reason 6: Worship Invites God to Meet With Us

Excerpt from Plugging Into Real Worship by Andrew P. Logan Sr.

Whether we come to worship God individually or in a corporate setting, our worship invites God to meet with us.  In the New Testament, we see Jesus referred to as “Immanuel” which means “God with us”.  We also know that Jesus told us that He only did what He saw His Father doing.  Even in the Old Testament, we see God meeting with His People. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

On Mount Sinai, God told Moses to come up, bringing Aaron, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.  They were instructed to worship God from afar.  Only Moses could come up close to God.  Through the worship of Moses and the others, God established the Mosaic covenant.  In receiving that covenant, Moses was careful to write down all that God had told him.  As Moses shared what God had told him, the people of Israel heard and obeyed all that God had told Moses.

Another very interesting thing happened as a result of their worship.  God allowed Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders to SEE Him.  Not only did they see Him, but they ate and drank with Him. It was after this that Moses went up on Mount Sinai into the cloud of God’s glory and dwelt there forty days and nights.

‘The LORD said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel; and while you are still some distance away, bow down in worship. You alone, and none of the others, are to come near me. The people are not even to come up the mountain.” Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s commands and all the ordinances, and all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has said. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the mountain and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath his feet was what looked like a pavement of sapphire, as blue as the sky. God did not harm these leading men of Israel; they saw God, and then they ate and drank together.’ (Exodus 24:1-3, 9-11 GNB)

 Without a doubt, the most profound example of God meeting with His people happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple.  In this instance, God manifested His Glory to such a degree that the Priests and Levites were unable to continue ministering as they were unable to even stand up. How did this come about?  They were of a single heart, mind, and purpose.  God honored that by giving them a single voice rather than a collection of voices and sounds as one might expect to hear in a group of worshipers.  God’s Word tells us that He commands a blessing when His people are in unity.  Clearly that day, they were in unity and God honored His promise.

“The choir and trumpets made one voice of praise and thanks to GOD–orchestra and choir in perfect harmony singing and playing praise to GOD: Yes! God is good! His loyal love goes on forever! Then a billowing cloud filled The Temple of GOD. The priests couldn’t even carry out their duties because of the cloud–the glory of GOD!–that filled The Temple of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14, MSG)

 That must have been a tremendous sight to see.  Not surprisingly, God wants to manifest Himself again.  Why?  God wants to manifest Himself because He wants to prepare His Bride for Jesus’ return.  You see, God knows that His Glory will forever change us and prepare us to meet Him when He comes again.

Have you attended services where the worship ushered in a cloud of His Glory?  Words this side of eternity don’t exist to describe all that can be said about it.  Sadly, worship services such as this happen far too infrequently.  Those of us who have experienced them previously, know that God wants to reveal Himself during worship,  and feel cheated when His presence is not manifest to this degree.

Looking back at the dedication of Solomon’s temple when God’s Glory cloud was so preeminent, we see that the Priests and Levites were not only in harmony with each other, but they had prepared themselves and the temple for God to meet with them there.  Perhaps we as the Body of Christ must do more in this regard, in order to achieve the results we so desperately desire.

 

© Andrew Logan
About the Author:

Andrew Logan has been an integral part of worship for more than 20 years. Passionately, he escorts others into the Presence of God. Andrew maintains that worship invites God to meet with us to bring lasting life transformation that won’t come any other way.

Andrew developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ during a time of intense struggle in his personal life. Having a strong passion for music, he served the Lord in music ministries in several churches. A few years later, the founder of Life Bible Ministries International, Dr. Harold Hagen ordained Andrew and asked him to lead worship there.

After a rewarding career of more than twenty years in Information Technology, he transitioned into full-time Pastoral Ministry. Andrew now serves as senior pastor of All Nations Word and Worship Center.

Author of Plugging Into Real Worship and Conectándose a la adoración verdadera

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