True worshiper (6)

David was a worshiper. Hardship and difficulty could not stop him worshipping God through his entire life. He learned to confess that ‘God is my shepherd’ in wildness and desert. When Goliath mocked the name of God and Israelites’ army could not do anything, a sixteen-years old boy, David fought in the name of Joshua. Even after he became a king, his only interest was that he praised and worshiped God. The first thing that he did right after he became the king in the unified Israel was that he moved the ark to the castle of David. He never failed worship God even in the glorious moment of his life.

However, there was the terrible moment that David failed worship. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah who was a faithful servant. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Plasm 51:10-12) The thing that David was afraid and painful was that he could not worship God.

He repented. “Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Plasm 51:14, 17) He repented the sin that made him fail worship and he came before God with the broken heart.

The reason that sin is terrible is because our privilege is taken away to worship God. If we are taken away worship because we are created to worship God, it is same that vine branch is cut off from the vine. Similarly, it is the most miserable and painful moment that our spirits cannot breathe because we are cut off from the Lord who is the source of joy, life, and hope as if the spring water is blocked. As long as worship is alive, any trial, hardship or difficulty cannot sink us. Also, as long as we are in our Lord’s power and presence, we cannot be perished.

Because Daniel rejected to worship King Nebuchadnezzar, they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. He had never hid to worship God. Even though Daniel learned the decree, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day, just as he had done before. Also, Daniel’s three friends kept worshipping. King Nebuchadnezzar tried to persuade them to fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. However, they confessed that “if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it. But even if he does not, we have no choice but to worship God.” The prophet Elijah fought with 850 prophet of Baal and Asherach. It was fight to decide who the true God is. And it was fight of God’s holy people for worship.

During the Japanese colonial era, Korean church failed to keep worship by visiting Shrines. At that time, pastor Ju-Cheol Joo and Yeang-won Son were isolated in Korean churches. Even if it seems that church has form, it is powerless if church loses the power of worship. If the worship is taken, church is over. God will show His glory in the world through those who serve, worship God. <Continued>

Missionary Kim Yong Eui

(Current missionary. Representative of LOG Mission)

<Copyright ⓒ The Gospel Prayer Newspaper that opens the world with the truth and the kingdom of God in my hand>