GOD'S WAYS

"Not my will, but Thine be done,

And let the fullness of the Son

Dwell within this life that You have granted me,

Until everything I do

Becomes a thing that pleases You,

Abba! Father! I'll then be a son indeed."

This chorus, in various forms, has been chanted by many in hope that God would look within the singer and see a pure worship in Spirit and truth. Then hope springs up, that, having seen, He will immediately grant full, mature sonship, making all right with the petitioner's world and ways. And then...?

It's one of my favorite choruses and I'm sure the LORD accepts the sacrificial words in the spirit in which they are offered. But, worship is more than hope - although the desire to be a complete and perfect son is pleasing - even to the flesh.

Many worshippers seem to have lost their way, to be dislocated, having been charmed into childish belief that a brief chorus, a prayer before breakfast, or perhaps a diligent reading of a half dozen Psalms every day comprises true worship. In short, I deem it necessary to locate our place in God, and attend to relocation in the WAYS of God - in SPIRIT AND REALITY - JESUS CHRIST.

All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD,

and all of the families of the nations

will bow before Him,

for dominion belongs to the LORD

and He rules over the nations.

(Psalms 22.27-28, NIV)

This is a vision, a revelation, of that glorious day when ALL men shall truly worship our Saviour-God!

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus, EVERY knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD,

to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2.9-11, NIV)

The Amplified New Testament translates, "...every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is LORD..." This translation agrees with Vincent, Conybeare and many others. The words "at the name of Jesus" should really be " in the name of Jesus". " The name " means, here, the personal name, but includes ALL that is involved in the name. Hence the salutation is not at the name of Jesus, as by bowing when the name is uttered, but in the spiritual and holy sphere, in which EVERY prayer is to be offered, EVERY knee bow, and EVERY tongue confess.

" ALL the ends of the earth will remember AND TURN TO THE LORD..." This turning to the LORD is essential to all nations giving worship to Him, and it flows from the renewed heart that is turned God-ward. It's acknowledgement that exalts Him alone with humble obeisance, submissive respect, and homage. This action shows a self-abasement in the worshipper and the more SELF bows, the more He is exalted in His Supreme Being. Jeremiah's prayer in Lamentations 5.21 says it well:

"Turn us to Yourself, O LORD,

and we shall be turned

and restored!

Renew our days as of old.

(Amplified)

These acts of turning, restoring, and renewing, are acts of divine grace: The LORD lays hold of us and turns us to Himself. We must remember that Jesus said, "...no man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him". (John 6.44).

("Worship is the approval of all of God's ways". No, that's not a Biblical quotation, but one which the Holy Spirit has quickened and made vital to me, and I believe that when one truly worships God, he approves of all His ways. It is certain that God's ways are perfect, and we read at Psalms 18.30, "As for God, his way is perfect ..." (NIV) (The word perfect is a Hebrew adjective gamar , i.e. complete, fulfilled, whole, without blemish, et cetera - and is a state unattainable through man's puny efforts.)

Our approval doesn't add to His perfection, nor does our disapproval make His way less perfect -; approval, acceptance of His way simply indicates our acceptance of God's work in bringing us to the state He desires. Our approval or acceptance of all God's inworking grace brings us into harmony with the reconciliation; it's complete surrender and committal to God.

Laying down the carnal weapons of our futile warfare with the flesh, the LIAR, and the beggarly elements of the cosmos is a vital part of our submission to Him, and an absolute essential in true worship. God's ways are expressions of His choice and His purpose - and whatever He has determined to do He does in a way that will result in perfect fulfillment. He deals with each of His creatures as is fitting to each, because He knows their needs; He directs their steps, and works in each His wondrous will.

In His teaching process there is a discipline where we learn to worship Him for His personal inworking, and not complain when He doesn't do with us as He does with others.

WE ARE HIS - to do as HE will - and we WILL learn to approve ALL His ways. He is GOD and there is none but Him, and the more we realize this, the more we desire to receive ALL THINGS from His hand - whether those things appear to be positive or negative. Remember the Holy Spirit's promise "...we know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". (Romans 8.28, NKJV, my emphasis). Phillip's translation says, "...according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good."

We worship Him for the way He has chosen to lead us, for all the paths He chooses are just and true.

"...I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the lamb:

Great and marvelous are your deeds

LORD God Almighty.

Just and true are your ways,

King of the ages.

Who will not fear you, O LORD,

And bring glory to your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship before you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed."

(Revelation 15.2-4, NIV)

Here again, we see it's the outworking of His judgements, His disciplinary action, His correctional processings that bring forth a complete restoration: ALL NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU! The work that He does in us as individual members of His glorious body shall be wrought in ALL NATIONS! "...in Christ shall ALL be made alive. But every man in his own order". (1 Corinthians 15.22-23).

HE IS INDEED WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE!!

The worship we WITNESS arising from the hearts of those having gained the victory over the bestial system of the world is PURE worship, and APPROVAL OF ALL HIS WAYS. "Just and true are THY ways!" (The word "ways" is odoi in Greek, and means paths, traveller's ways, and metaphorically, courses of conduct or ways of thinking, e.g., of righteousness.)

How can the singers give such approval? (Not judgement!) Through all the disciplinary processing, all the pressures and testings they have learned that HIS WAYS are righteous ways and lead to the perfection of God's glorious body!

In the midst of present circumstances we find it difficult to approve all His dealings since the end result is not clearly discernible, because "at present we do not see everything subject to him (man)". (Hebrews 2.9, NIV) But the hour is coming when no longer is it just lip service or some form of mental assent - but with a sincere heart we shall bow down and worship Our Saviour-God for ALL His ways.

As the heavens are higher than the earth

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(Isaiah 55.9, NIV)

The Hebrew for the word ways in this verse is derek and means the act of treading, walking; a way, a path. In the Old Testament it most often refers to manner, custom, behavior and/or mode of life.

In order to rescue our worship from its bondage to ceremonial ritual and the false form of cake-wit obeisance to which it's been perverted, we must truly see and KNOW the ways of the LORD. Then we will worship Him in a spirit-flow from the heart, and begin to know Him as we are known by Him:

He made known His ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel.

(Psalm 103.7, NIV, my emphasis)

The word deeds (or acts in the KJV) is a Hebrew word meaning works, actions, - usually in a bad sense. Most Christians are stagnated in the "children of Israel" status, where they see only God's acts, the outward manifestation of His omnipotence. Sadly, the "bad" acts are those of which they are the most aware. They ever seek more "miracles" or "wonders" - but Moses desired greatly more than demonstrations of God's terrible might. He cried out, "Now show me your glory" (Exodus 33.18). He yearned to understand the ways of the LORD; to know the purpose and meaning behind the visible signs and wonders.

God granted Mose's reverent petition: "Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD GOD, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin'..and Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and WORSHIP !" (Exodus 34.6-8, NASB).

This revelation of God, in His ways and workings, still remains a mystery to most of mankind - especially to the "modern" church and its pulpiteers. But Moses understood, and it became a part of his song, "Just and true are Thy ways".

God's revelation of Himself and His ways brought a most prompt response: - Moses bowed his head to the earth and WORSHIPPED. This was instant acceptance and total approval by the servant of God, echoed later by the Psalmist:

Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths.

(Psalms 25.4, NIV)

Make me understand the way

of Thy precepts,

So I will meditate on

Thy wonders.

(Psalms 119.27, NASB)

Since real worship is self-abasement and total approval and acceptance of God's ways, we see that worship in Spirit and truth is a WAY OF LIVING. This way of living is manifest by our confession, our believing and obedience, and by our declaration of His ways to those who don't know Him.

This "way" is not presumptuous preachifying, nor is it revealed precipitately - but is manifest step by step, precept upon precept - AS HE DEEMS NECESSARY!!

In Genesis 24 we find an outstanding example of what it means to worship God with each step, with each new development,along our way to His goal. You recall the tale. It begins with Abraham instructing his servant regarding a wife for his son of promise, Isaac, and how the servant was to go to the country of Abraham's kindred to find her. Eventually, the servant approached the city of Nahor, and stopped outside the walls near a well. Here he prayed to God for a sign whereby he'd know which of the many girls coming to the well was the one God had chosen for Isaac.

"It came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out..." and filled her water-jug from the well. The servant asked her for a drink, and she responded, fulfilling every detail of the sign the servant had asked for in prayer. "Without a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful." (NIV)

I think it's significant that the servant didn't rush headlong with his own plans, but patiently waited to see how things would unfold. The charge he'd received from his master emphasized that the girl need be from Abraham's own kindred, so he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me..." As soon as he learned that she was from the right family, and she had invited him to lodge with them: "... the man bowed down and worshipped the LORD, saying, 'Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham...'"

He didn't attempt a long conversation with Rebekah, nor did he worry about what she might think. He simply WORSHIPPED THE LORD. He had prayed, and as soon as he began to see - truly - the ways of God, and the marvelous way in which God was bringing things to pass - he bowed and WORSHIPPED - not waiting for the entire journey to be successfully concluded. Just as soon as he had evidence that this was the WAY OF THE LORD - he gave Him the glory.

The self-esteeming, puffed-up and proud in heart find in impossible to worship God in this way, because they cannot bow to Him in spirit - though they may physically do so. When things go well they attribute it to their own self-centered ability, or to chance - but they fail to see the hand of God in all that touches their lives.

But how precious is the way for those who see the Savior-God in each happening of the day; the special circumstances that show the believer that His mighty hand directs every step, counts every breath and lets not one heart-beat be of no consequence. Truly, there is a cause for continual worship ALL THE DAY LONG.

Abraham's servant saw the hand of God in the outworking of every happening, and just as soon as he recognized it - he WORSHIPPED GOD. The record says that Rebekah ran and told her family everything that had transpired, and her brother, Laban, went out to meet the servant and welcome him to the home. The servant then related his experience up to that time and how every part of his prayer had been fulfilled in Rebekah. He told them, "And I bowed low and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, WHO HAD GUIDED ME IN THE RIGHT WAY..." (Verse 48, NASB).

The family answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed." When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. (Verses 50-52, NIV. KJV adds "he worshipped the LORD"). At each stage of God's unfolding plan the servant worshipped the LORD again. Each event gave fresh opportunity for praise and thanksgiving.

GOD COMES FIRST ALL ALONG THE WAY, and our spiritual worship is evidence of our continuous acceptance of all that God is doing in and for us.

Jesus taught us that we are to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, and God's righteousness (see Matthew 6.33). The Kingdom of God is that perfect place of AUTHORITY of God ruling over us - and to seek first that HIS WAY, HIS WILL, HIS PURPOSE be fulfilled in us is a most vital part of our worship.

The first time the word "worship" is used in the bible is when Abraham was about to offer Isaac in sacrifice to the LORD. He said to his servants, "Abide ye here..and I and the lad will go yonder and WORSHIP, and come again to you." (Genesis 22.5) God had commanded that Abraham offer his son - the son of promise - as a burnt offering - and Abraham worshipped ACKNOWLEDGING ACCEPTANCE OF ALL GOD'S WAYS. Abraham's servants were taught to worship - as we should teach all whom God has given us.

Genesis 18.17-18 records that God revealed special secrets to Abraham, "Then the LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ...For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the WAY of the LORD by doing what is right and just...'" (NIV)

God knew Abraham taught ALL HIS HOUSEHOLD TO WORSHIP, and KEEP THE WAY OF THE LORD. "Keep" is a Hebrew word meaning: to keep, to observe, to take heed, thus "to obey". They learned to ZEALOUSLY OBSERVE THE WAY OF THE LORD. That's why the servant (see above) bowed and worshipped at each unfolding of the steps in God's plan - he knew how to SEE GOD'S work in these things, and show his acceptance of GOD'S WAY.

To be continued...