In this post, I’m looking at three examples of worship to establish if there is a pattern.
The first example os that of the Wise Men.
“And when they had come into the house, t’hey saw the young child’ with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11). Notice the sequence:
- Saw the young child (Recognition)
- Fell down and worshipped Him (Humility)
- Presented gifts to Him (Thanksgiving).
The second example is the man possessed by demons
“When he (a) saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God (b)? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” (Mark 5:6,7)
Look at the sequence…
- Saw Jesus from afar (a) and knew Him to be the “Son of the Most High God” (b) (Recognition)
- Worshipped (Humility)
- “Do not torment…” (Seeking mercy)
Let’s see if the pattern continues in our third example with Joshua
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked and beheld, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, “what does my Lord say to His servant?” (Joshua 5:13,14)
- Looked and beheld (Recognition)
- Fell on his face to the earth and worshipped (Humility)
- What does my Lord say to His servant?” (He volunteered for Service)
In all three examples, the first two steps to acceptable worship are the same – ‘Recognition’, followed by ‘Humility’. It is only the Holy Spirit that will enable you to recognise the Holy Spirit God and to humble yourself in His presence. The third step in each case is different they are all connected with worship and service. The Wise Men gave offerings, the demoniac pleaded for mercy (in worship we plead or case and ask for God to deliver us), in the case of Joshua, he was a soldier and asked his Commander-in-Chief for his orders. When we’re in the presence of God, we will also hear the call to serve.