Lenten Devotion – Called To Worship God
Day 32, 21 March 2024
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
I once witnessed a military commander debrief a subordinate officer about a failed mission in a simulated warfighting scenario. After a long grilling session, the commander said to the subordinate officer in no uncertain terms “Your sole purpose in life is to win the battle, and if you can’t do that, you are GOOD FOR NOTHING!”
These strong words not only pierced the recipient of the berating but also shook the hearts of the bystanders. They were told in no uncertain terms the expectations of the commander. This comment made me think about what it means to be “good for nothing”. While we should never use these words lightly, I reflected that since I was created to worship and glorify God, then I would indeed be “good for nothing” if I am not fulfilling the purpose of my creation!
Hebrews 12:28-29 exhorts us to worship the Lord with reverence and awe. We worship the Lord not just because we are commanded to do so, but because it is a joyous privilege we have as God’s beloved children. As we offer ourselves fully to God in reverence, adoration and thanksgiving, we are drawn close to Him. In His presence, there is fullness of joy and we are made complete.
St. Augustine prayed “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You”.
In this Lenten season, let us lay aside everything that hinders our worship. Let us turn away from the ways of the world, and the worldly pursuits that can never fill the God-shaped vacuum in our hearts. May we experience the exceedingly great reward of closeness with our Lord as we give ourselves fully to Him in worship.
Swee Pieu🙏