Job XXV

 As with most other things nowadays, people have come up with new and inventive ways to complicate worship. We have replaced desire and a hunger for God with contrived and formulaic catchphrases that do nothing to soothe the heart or feed the soul. I wonder how many would have stood in judgment of Job at seeing him tear his robe, shave his head, and fall on the ground and worship God? That seems a bit overly dramatic, the whole robe tearing thing and then falling to the ground. Really? He couldn’t have been more demure about it? He’s scaring the old ladies or the young children with his antics. Yes, it’s a horrible thing that happened to him, but that doesn’t negate the need for matters. Matters maketh man, after all, and he should know better.

Then you’d have those who weren’t so much bothered by his falling on the ground but by his putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable when he spoke the name of God. No wonder God does not hear the cry of his heart; he’s not addressing Him by His proper name.

Rather than weep with those who weep, nowadays, we tend to pour salt on the wound and watch those who are bruised, broken, hurting, and wounded as they traverse their valleys, judging their composure in the midst of trial. Perhaps it makes us feel spiritually superior, or we like the idea of playing god, but whatever the reason, we are quick to point out how they should be grieving instead of being a healing balm in the midst of their grief.

It’s not that they didn’t run to God, cling to Him, cry out to Him in their suffering; it’s the way they did it that bothers us, and we are quick to point it out at the most inappropriate of times, insisting that had they taken the course on the proper way to groan before the Almighty, then perhaps their situation wouldn’t have gotten as bad as it did.

Well, you know, brother, God doesn’t respond to our pleas when we address Him as God. Says who? Is He so petty as to turn a deaf ear to His children if they fail to address Him in a specific manner?

I’ve seen this sort of mind-numbing attitude one too many times, and it extends to those who, with sincerity of heart and a true desire to know more of God, get overwhelmed by those insisting upon tertiary issues that have no bearing on spiritual growth. We love to insert personal opinions in the lives of others, insisting that it’s more than what it is, then take no responsibility or accountability for the damage we cause when the individual in question goes in search of extra-biblical experiences rather than humbly remaining at the foot of the cross.

We’ve stopped teaching the sufficiency of Christ and have taken to teaching Christ, plus some other thing. Christ revealed Himself both as sufficient and singular. In Him, we find the truth, the way, and the life without needing to add any other tradition, ritual, ceremony, or formality.    

When your heart is crushed, when you’re overwhelmed, when you can barely keep from being dragged beneath the waves, every piece of fluff, every contrivance, every estimation of our own strength and prowess go out the window, and the only thing we have left is God.

It won’t matter if you’re standing, kneeling, bowing, genuflecting, or falling on the ground, and the last thing on your mind will be what others think of the way you’re crying out to God. There have been times in prayer meetings when the presence of God utterly wrecked me. I’d be on my knees, balling my eyes out, snot hanging off the tip of my nose, and the last thing on my mind was if anyone was watching or noticing or what they thought of a fully grown man balling like a baby.

When you enter into the presence of God, when you are in true worship, self-consciousness ceases to be an issue, as does one’s need to put their best foot forward or project some air of spirituality. True worship is not performative. It’s not about clapping along with the rhythm of a song or reading a prayer off a teleprompter; it’s about pouring out your heart to the God who promised to be a comfort and a present help in times of trouble.

Many today have never felt the true, tangible, undeniable presence of God because they refuse to humble themselves and be vulnerable in His presence. Intimacy with God demands vulnerability. When you cry out for God to search your heart, you must be prepared to have Him search all of it—not just the space you cleaned up and made nice, not just the living room you recently vacuumed, but the basement and the attic, the alcoves where there may still be spider webs and creepy crawly things.

When you ask for a heart inspection, you must be prepared to make the necessary changes when the report comes in. If there are things you need to fix, God will tell you, but then it’s up to you as an individual to follow through and excise the things standing in the way of your spiritual maturation. We ask God to search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way in us, then proceed to lead us in the way everlasting. If we’ve already determined that we’re not willing to change anything, that we’re not willing to surrender what may be required of us to surrender, that we’re not willing to follow where He leads us, why go through the motions of asking God to search our hearts? Change, transformation, sanctification, and the pruning of things and practices contrary to the spiritual man are not merely suggestions but indispensable necessities for spiritual growth.

True worship does not demand ritualistic rigidity; it demands a contrite heart. It’s about the condition of our hearts, not about formalities. True worship is a sacrifice well pleasing in the sight of God, and as individuals, we choose to either worship Him or go through the motions and feign worship that does not translate into a well-pleasing sacrifice.

Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.