Essence of Worship – The Presidential Prayer Team

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. – John 4:24

Jesus had come to a resting point on his long walk from Jerusalem to Galilee. He had taken the shorter route, though it took Him through Samaria where the people were at odds with the Jews of the land. As was customary in His life, He had a divine appointment to keep with a Samaritan woman. She was curious but ready for her encounter with the Lord, and in their dialogue together, Jesus uttered the words in today’s verse. Culture had taught the woman the worship program of the Samaritans. Jesus was revealing to her the best way to worship the true and living God.

What is worship in your life? Is it the Sunday morning service, when you join in congregational singing, prayer, and then listen to a sermon? Although church services are important in your faith life, theologian John Piper says, “The essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but inner, Godward experience that comes… primarily in daily expressions of allegiance to God—in your… life, in the way you handle your money, or keep your marriage vows, or speak up for Christ.”

Do you have a desire to know more of God? Saint Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are found restless until they find their rest in you.” Worship is about being connected to God. While you might feel more connected to Him in a church service, you can connect with the Lord on a mountain, in a parking garage, or at the kitchen sink.

Theologian John MacArthur said, “True worship does not consist of mere outward conformity to religious standards and duties, but emanates from the inner spirit. It must also be consistent with the truth God has revealed about Himself in his Word.” True worship comes from the heart.

Let yourself be occupied with Who God is: His names, His characteristics, His lovingkindness, and His faithfulness toward you. Focus on Jesus and the matchlessness of the cross and empty tomb. Be conscious of the gift of salvation He has delivered to you. As you dwell on Him more and more, your personal, internal worship will expand, and God will receive all the glory—which is what worship is really all about!

Today’s Verse: John 4:24

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: John 4:7-15, 19-26

⁷A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸(For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”