WORSHIP THAT PLEASES GOD
Carey Madding
Today’s Scripture: “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6, ESV
Theme: Sometimes, doing all the “right” things is not what matters to God. Worship means doing what He requires.
YOU CAN’T PLEASE THEM ALL
Have you ever been in a situation where someone just didn’t like you? Maybe up until this point, your life was a piece of cake: teachers, student leaders, and family members all thought you were spectacular. But now the coach hates you. Your boss thinks you’re ditzy. Your future mother-in-law could not be more disappointed in you, even if you joined a chorus line!
Obviously, sometimes the inability to please someone is justified. Maybe you’re not what the coach needs on the team. You are not as qualified as it appeared on your resume. You’re not at all what Mother had in mind for her son. But you still are a good person! You still have great qualities that would benefit the team or the office. Why are there some people who will never see you the way you hope to be seen?
GOD WAS NOT PLEASED
The Hebrews made a great show of religious festivals, rules, fasting, and their “humility.” But it was an outward show, not a truthful representation of their hearts. We know this because even on the days they made a big show of fasting, God said, “you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers” (Isaiah 58:3b, ESV). It is obvious they didn’t spend the day in prayer and then respond to God’s directions to care for the hurting. In fact, they fasted “only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist” (Isaiah 58:4a, ESV). Their fasting made them arrogant, comparing themselves to others, causing conflicts, and even fist fights! This is not at all the result of focused meditation at the Lord’s feet. Though they seemed to want to please God, they did not.
YOU CAN PLEASE GOD...HIS WAY
God, through Isaiah, shares with them that outward signs and words are nothing compared to hearts like His: overflowing with righteous indignation for injustice, compassion for the poor, and opening homes and pantries to the hungry. Everything God lists as true worship is doable! He wants to be pleased with us! He tells us how to please Him!
We don’t have to be perfect or check off a list of religious duties. We just have to be sensitive to God’s leading. Where God shows us people in pain, suffering, and injustice, we must be willing to spend ourselves, our resources, our time, our hearts, and our emotions. Not a one-off encounter, but a commitment to see them set on a path of wholeness.
Make It Personal: What are you doing today that could be considered just “a religious exercise"? If you want peace with God, first meet Jesus. Then start doing what He did. Is there one sentence in Isaiah 58 that really speaks to you and cuts you to the heart? What will you do about it? There are many ways to make a difference. Ask God where He wants you to start.
Pray: Lord, is this not the worship You have asked of me? To break every yoke of poverty, oppression, injustice, and prejudice? How can I make a difference? Where do I start? Thank You that just as Jesus proclaimed: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19, ESV). Spirit, show me what You see. Send me where You will. Empower me to make a difference and worship You in Spirit and in Truth. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Read: Isaiah 58, 1 Peter 5:1-7
Weekly Memory Verse: “He must increase but I must decrease.” John 3:30, ESV