The Blessing of His Presence (6)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which isyour reasonable service. Romans 12.1

Mad joy!
Except for the return of allergy season, and the portent of hot weather just ahead, spring is one of my favorite times of the year. In my view, the whole of spring could be reduced to one annual event: March Madness.

March Madness, of course, is the annual national basketball tournament featuring the best teams of Division I colleges and universities. I watch as much as I can, for the skill, choreography, timing, and beauty of it all. I enjoy most of all the celebrations, on and off the court. These are particularly vibrant and joyful when someone hits a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game, or, as in the case of Villanova’s Wildcats in 2016, to win it all. Imagine the thrill and happiness. The shooter running around on the court, holding out his school’s name on his jersey. His teammates mobbing him, falling all over him, holding up their index fingers in “Number 1” salutes, laughing and shouting, hugging and high-fiving. Fans spilling out onto the court. Even the announcers can’t contain themselves, and shout and marvel and rejoice along with everyone else.

It’s a pure, unabashed, albeit brief, celebration of joy, and it’s a thing of beauty to behold.

This, my friends, is what heaven is like – except for the brief part, and the merely beholding part. Jesus has accomplished an unimaginable victory over the most formidable foe. Lifted on shoulders of highest praise, He has ascended to heaven, surrounded by shouts, huzzahs, trumpets, and holy fight songs from angels and departed saints. He has been appointed MVP of history and the cosmos by His Father the King, and He holds the trophy of uprightness in His hand, as He dwells amid the continuous praises of His people (Ps. 45.6; Ps. 22.3). The cries of victory and celebrations of joy, coupled with proclamations of His greatness, go on incessantly, in full, loud, and rich harmony, filling the court of our heavenly King with more joy and pleasure than all the March Madnesses and all the other madnesses of men, rolled into one.

And you?
And there you are, seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Joy and gladness going on continually around you. Holiness splashing like champagne over every celebrant. Songs and cheers and tears of laughter streaming endlessly from all and every. Worship – glorious, vibrant, ceaseless, heartfelt worship ­– sweeping the heavenly court where Jesus has cut down the nets and is sharing them with everyone.

So why isn’t there more of this worship in our everyday lives? Why are we so normal? So dull? So lacking in joy and hope and confidence and celebration? Perhaps because we haven’t been watching the holy wildness that is our home court in heaven, or we haven’t taken our seat with Jesus, full of joy and pleasure because of His victory and reign. Only the presence of the Lord can move us to exuberant, unimpeded, unashamed praise and thanksgiving, lifting our souls in eternal joy, rapturous pleasure, and unquenchable hope. Without the presence of the Lord, worship quickly becomes about us, about blessings, about idolatry.

Worship that isn’t about Jesus doesn’t last very long. It’s like the joy of the team three years ago that won the national title. Yeah, I don’t remember them, either.

Worship that is about Jesus takes place in His presence – both with Him where He is, and, just as important, with us wherever we go.

Celebrating with the Lord
You don’t have worship right if during worship you’re doing anything other than straining your mind, heart, and body to see and celebrate and get at Jesus. Worship is not about you. Or your church. Or the music. Or whether babies are crying somewhere in the sanctuary. Worship is about Jesus, and if, in your worship, you get to the place where you see Jesus and know yourself to be present with Him, then you will enter the home court celebration of saints and angels with new exuberance, humility, joy, tears, and pleasure.

And that worship will be more likely to stay with you as what you might reasonably expect to be the normal ambience of your walk with and work for the Lord.

Because when you’re able to worship the Lord in His presence, with Him where He is – truly to worship and celebrate Him – then that worship becomes your outlook and natural environment as you practice His presence with you wherever you go.

Jesus hasn’t just won the big game. He has gained the victory of life for lost sinners, renewal for the entire cosmos, and hope beyond hope for every created thing. Worship the Lord daily, friends. Make the time for it. Learn the skills and disciplines that bring it forth. Jump into the happy and glorious throng of those who are piling around Jesus to celebrate and touch Him. Make worship the most important part of your day – not just your week – and you’ll find that your daily life is more abundantly filled with worship and joy – fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

And if anyone wants to know why, just hum a few bars of your favorite Jesus fight song, and show them your piece of the net!

For reflection
1.  Why does worship not seem to be any more exuberant and uplifting than it is? What’s in the way?

2.  Do you worship the Lord daily? How? When?

3.  Why is it reasonable to suppose that worship should be a way of life for Christians?

Next steps – Preparation: Do you pray for wisdom? Solomon did (2 Chron. 1.7-12), but then he applied himself diligently to acquire the promised wisdom of God (cf. Eccl. 1.12, 13). What is your plan for growing in wisdom? Talk with a Christian friend about this matter.

T. M. Moore

This is part 5 of a 5-part series, Living toward the Promises. You can download this week’s study as a free PDF, suitable for personal or group use, by clicking here. You can learn more about living toward the promises of God by ordering a copy of the book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store (click here).

We invite you to register for the free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview. In this course, we provide a sweeping panorama of how life in the Kingdom of God unfolds in an age in flight from God such as ours. Set your own schedule and study at your own pace. Learn more, and register for One in Twelve, by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.