We’re off and running…here we are at Day 2! The intentional steps you are taking to create space for Jesus and His Presence will be the greatest adventure you’ve ever known!
This first week we’re laying the foundation about honoring the supremacy of Jesus and what that looks like on a practical level for you and me.
Just a few days ago, my son Gabriel made this comment to me, “Momma Jesus has a heart that’s shaped like us.” Oh man…that melted my heart ’cause it’s so true right? We are the reason He left the glories of Heaven and became our ultimate Champion on the Cross. He deserves the highest worship and longs to be ministered to. He desires to hear our hearts adoring Him in our own unique way. Let’s keep diving in….
WEEK 1 – UNIT 2
WORSHIP: SUPERMACY OF CHRIST
While living in Nashville back in 2006, I went through a period of intense inner healing and unlearning wrong patterns of perceiving God. It was also in this season that I felt led to lay everything down and seek God for His direction regarding the next step I was to take in my calling into full-time ministry. During one of my counseling sessions with Holy Spirit, He spoke to my heart and said, “Your calling is two words: burn incense.” Wow! Ok…not the normal call into say…worship leading or youth ministry, or missions..what did He mean by ‘burning incense?
He led me to study 2 Chronicles 29:11 – “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”
At that time, I wasn’t aware of IHOP’s (International House of Prayer – Kansas City) teachings on the topic of ministering to the Lord and Bethel music wasn’t on the national scene because Youtube hadn’t become a sensation yet. (this was wayyy back in the day haha) Besides singing to and worshipping Him, I really didn’t have a grid for what ‘ministering to the Lord’ looked like. Other than King David.
But what better model than the psalmist, shepherd and king who serenaded and moved God’s heart.
In 1 Chronicles 23, we see that David was a prophetic forerunner who established a new standard of worship. The Tabernacle of David (a tent that David built to house the Ark of the Covenant) had 4,000 singers and musicians pouring out day and night worship, directly before the Ark, without a veil separating them! This was unheard of up until that time.
David was clearly demonstrating prophetically, to a time years ahead when Jesus was on the Cross and the veil was torn in the temple to give you and me and all New Covenant believers, full access to worship and minister to the Lord before His throne! David was such a worshiper after God’s heart, that he desired for Him to have His rightful, supreme place of honor and devotion. David lived in Jerusalem and he wanted to make Jerusalem the “worship HQ of the world” and create a permanent habitation for the Lord.
The writer at this site, put it this way:
David established 4,000 full-time paid musicians, 288 singers and 4,000 gatekeepers. Thus, he financed about 10,000 full-time staff to facilitate night and day worship. It would cost about $200 million a year to provide $3,000 a month for 5,000 full-time people (plus buildings costs).
It’s estimated that David gave over $100 billion (according to today’s prices) to God’s House from his personal finances.
Now that is some extravagant worship! David recruited 288 singers who prophesied, 12 every hour. Can you imagine stepping into that thick atmosphere of pure glory? This was unlike anything that had been established in Israel’s history. What was David after? He was after the “one thing.”
In Psalm 27: 4, David wrote, “Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with Him every moment in His house, finding the sweet loveliness of His face, filled with awe, delighting in His glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to Him that He takes pleasure in my every prayer.” (TPT)
What an amazing scripture! Can we just soak in those inspired words for a moment? Go ahead and read it a few times.
It is no wonder God called David in Acts 13:22, a man after his own heart who will do “everything I want him to do”. David’s one desire and insatiable craving was to gaze at the loveliness of the face of God and delight in His goodness. The outflow of that kind of longing, was a desire to minister to the heart of God. He had no other agenda than to pour adoration to God, day and night.
In many of the scriptures that mention ministering to the Lord the Hebrew word sharath is used, which means “to attend to, to minister unto, serve, or wait on.”
Imagine this with me for a moment. God walks into your house and sits at your table and with a smile on His glorious face, longs for you to wait on Him. As I write these words and imagine this, I’m completely wrecked y’all! I am wrecked with that humble honor and privilege He’s given to every believer to be attentive to Him and wait on Him.
This call to minister to His heart isn’t just for musicians and singers. Or for extreme, monastic people without any responsibilities. It’s for every believer who carries the Spirit of Christ within them. Because of the glorious Cross, and when we choose to believe in and receive His salvation, we have the tabernacle of God residing within us. You and I have been handed the baton to carry the call, minister and attend to the heart of God. Think about that!
What a high calling and destiny to attend to the heart of the One who created the galaxies, the oceans, the innumerable stars and each and every intricate cell of every human being. HE desires our highest and best worship and revels and delights in our praise and adoration of Him. (Go ahead and take a moment (or an hour) to do that right now…don’t let me stop you..lol!
Going back to that day in 2006 that solidified my call, I began to dive into the Word and receive further confirmation from Holy Spirit and I started to understand how pivotal it was and is to ‘burn incense’, which is to minister to the Lord and give Him a fragrant offering of worship. Day and night. Sometimes it’s as simple and beautiful as choosing to stop everything we’re doing at the moment and becoming still before Him, breathing in His Presence and whispering words of adoration and gratitude to Him.
Ministering to His heart is our highest calling! Often even as Christians, we look for our purpose and want clarity regarding our future. It’s human nature to ponder, ask questions and desire meaning and fulfillment. I submit to you, that our purpose, calling and destiny is waiting to be discovered as we become captivated by the Person of Jesus and minister to His heart.
Revelation 4:11 declares, “For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” We were created to bring pleasure to God’s heart. We bring pleasure to Him in being intentional about tending to His heart, by sitting at His feet.
Do you have a love language that makes you come alive? Well I believe God’s love language is expressed in the way we pour our affection and adoration on Him. David understood God’s love language. He was a worshiper before his time, who established a tabernacle of worship to the Lord by ministering to His heart, day and night.
David, a man after God’s own heart set a high value on being attentive and valuing the Presence of God.
Andrew Murray once said, “The training of the disciples was the Presence of Jesus.” Likewise, the training for you and I is being in the Presence of Jesus and ministering to Him.
What does ministering to His heart look like? To keep it very simple, here are the ABCs of “Ministering to God’s Heart, 101.” 🙂
A – Abandon the self & Adore the Savior
B – Believe in His goodness & Behold His face
C – Cherish His Word & Celebrate Him with childlike wonder
What a humbling privilege we’ve been given, as believers and heirs of Christ, to minister to the very heart of God, the One who created us. He yearns for our attentive focus and devotion.
In ministering to the Lord, He ministers back to us. Often, we may not see any massive results as we sit at His feet. But as we go through our day or week, the residue of His Presence carries us, guides us and causes us to walk in much favor and wisdom! Friends, I am telling you this from personal experience. I have stories and stories of how He has brought so much peace, joy, favor and redemption in my life even when I wasn’t looking for it! The God of the universe loves when we simply come to Him with one agenda in our hearts: to love Him! What a ministry we’ve been given. This is the ultimate life. The highest calling. The greatest honor!
