Intimate Worship Part 1 - Delighting in Worship

Having children is a delight, and I believe the feeling is reciprocal.  Recently Asher (2yr old) has been doing something that highlights his delight in a cute way.  We usually put him to bed a little later than the others (he still gets a decent nap each day), so Asher has mom and dad to himself for a bit.  He loves this time (three sisters are not vying for attention).  But when his bed-time finally arrives there is a bubble-burst look on his face, and he can frown with the best of them.  The cute part comes next.  After he is put to bed, he knows not to come out to us or he's in trouble.  But he also wants to be with us.  His solution - hang out quietly on the floor just outside of his room, and just in front of the living room.  Almost every night lately we have had to put him to bed after falling asleep on the floor (hardwood) ... longing to be with mom and dad (Ok, I admit it; mostly longing to be with mommy).

This should be true of God's children.  To be honest, I get tired of appealing for people to get into their Bibles and spend time in fellowship with God.  At the beginning of each year I give practical hints and tips to help people carve out some time in their busy schedule for God.  How sad this is.  As children of the Father we should delight in God to such a point that at the times we are not able to delight in coming before Him we fall asleep just beyond that quiet place, longing for His presence.  If you have tasted the joys of God in intimate communion and worship, you don't need to be pushed, prodded, and pepped into His presence, you come with eyes lit with excitement.  Your only sorrow (bubble-burst face) comes when an obligation arrives and you cannot focus all your attention on Him.  I sometimes wonder if those who have no time for God really know Him.  To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to delight in His intimate presence. 

I've entitled this post "Delighting in Worship."  Of course, all of life is worship.  Worship is showing God His worth. So, worship occurs in music, giving, working, talking, blogging, changing a diaper or tire... You name it; if done to show God's worth to the world and to Him, it is worship.  I like to call this the communion of worship.  The delight that comes from this communion (conversation) of worship has got to be the best part of worship and the best part of life.  It is living (John 17:3).  As you develop consistent delight in God you will find that you worship not because you are commanded to, but because you have to.  You will not find yourself "having to carve out time for God" but you will find yourself "having to carve yourself away from communion with God."  This is the true satisfaction of life and eternity, delighting in worship.

In the posts to follow we will illustrate what intimate worship is, what springs out of intimate worship, and what distracts from intimate worship.