Hypocritical Worship

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

As you know Father, I didn’t post to PhatherPhil.org last Friday.  It was odd for me, because I’ve conditioned myself and put time aside to write to You each day, but on Friday the words just didn’t come.  For whatever reason, I felt disconnected somehow and couldn’t hear Your voice with the clarity I’ve become used to.  I struggled with it, and even tried to force myself to post something, but in the end I decided against just…

Going through the motions.

Although at the time I felt like I was reneging on some “unspoken obligation”, I’m happier that I chose not to post anything at all rather than something that wasn’t of Your inspiration.

And today Lord, I came across a passage in Isaiah that brought it all into wonderful perspective for me:

The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”

You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”? – Isaiah 29:13-16 (NIV)

We’ve all done it at one point or another Father; followed the worship “bouncing ball”, but done so without that deep communion in our hearts that gives the spiritual expression it’s purpose.  For many years when I was young, I went to Sunday school and church simply to appease my parents.  It was very much “textbook worship”, and throughout that period I never truly felt the deep, yearning connection to You that I’m Blessed with now.

You know our hearts Lord, and have no interest in hypocritical worship.

Thankfully Father, the “spiritual cloud” that obscured You from me on Friday passed quickly, and I even managed to gain some insight in the process.  I find it wondrous and fascinating that even in those unusual moments when my connection to You isn’t as clear, that You’re still teaching me nonetheless.  🙂

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your unending faithfulness and patience with us.  I pray that we all come to You presenting an open heart; with the lessons of Your Son firmly in our minds and enthusiastic praises of You on our lips.  Lift our spiritual clouds Lord, and make the Holy Spirit in us shine like the beacons You intend us to be.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil