I Love This Analogy
When GOD wanted to create the fish, HE spoke to the sea; when GOD wanted to make the trees, HE spoke to the earth, but when GOD wanted to create Man, HE spoke to Himself.
Then GOD said, “Let us make Man in Our image, according to Our likeness.
If you take a fish out of the water, it will die; when you take a tree off the ground, it will also die. Similarly, when Man is disconnected from GOD, he dies.
GOD is our natural environment. We were created to live in HIS presence. Therefore, we must be connected to HIM because only in HIM there is life. Remember that water without fish is still water, but fish without water is nothing. Likewise, the soil without a tree is still soil, but the
Deliverance Comes When You Can Worship God During the Worst of Your Troubles!
Jonah chapter 2 is another one of my favorite Scriptures! During Trouble, Jonah Still Prayed unto the Lord! He Forgot about his Situation and Fully Turned His Attention to God! Can you imagine what would happen if the church did the same thing today? If we sought God, no matter our situation? If we still fell on bended knees, there was no point; how many times has the rug been pulled out from beneath us? If we still talked to God, no matter how badly others were talking about us? If we still went to church even if we had to walk there? Would we still read the Bible even when we lost our job? Can you imagine if we still sought God regardless of our current circumstances?
Just think what would become of our lives if we prayed as the Bible admonishes us to: "Pray At All Times" (1 Thessalonians 5:17 GNT) imagine how strong our relationship with God would become if we indeed prayed at all times. And that includes praying when the car breaks down; the kids are failing in school; the marriage is holding on by its last string; the job just laid you off; the doctor just gave you a cancerous diagnosis; your parent passes away; your sibling is strung out on drugs; your church is emptying; your bank accounts can't even keep the bare minimum anymore; would you still be able to pray to God, even in these times? Would you still trust Him? Would you still lean on Him? Would you still believe Him? Would you still praise and worship Him? Would you still have Faith in Him? Would you still thank Him?
When you study the content of Jonah's prayer in Jonah 2:2-9, you will discover that he wasn't praying the 'give me or get me out of this prayer,' but a Prayer of Worship and Thanksgiving ("…But I'm Worshiping you, God, calling out in Thanksgiving! " (Jonah 2:9 MSG) However, what happens next is Dynamic; the Bible says, "And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." (Jonah 2:10 NIV). What a Mighty Deliverance! But, if you look at what Jonah Worshiped in the Midst of to Get It, you will have to ask yourself, 'do I really want it that bad?' Because to get This Kind of Deliverance, you must Possess the Ability to Worship in the Worst of It! Yes, that means to pray, worship and thank God while the doctor has nothing else he can do for your disease; your teenage son tells you he has a baby on the way; your daughter comes home with a tattoo across her forehead; there's nothing in the fridge but the light-bulb; the toilet water won't go down, the heat won't come up, the car won't start and the bills won't stop! YES, You Have to Still Pray, Praise, Worship and Thank God in the Midst of It All! So How Bad Do You Really Want It?!
"…I cried because of my affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell I cried, and thou heard my voice." (Jonah 2:2).
We all know the disappointments that come when we base anticipation on what we and other humans can deliver. God will never have a problem delivering." "What's damaged you as a child does not have to destroy you as an adult. God can deliver you from all your hurt and pain. Enter God's delivery room!"
Jonah Worshiped in The Midst of To Get It, God Will Never Have A Problem Delivering." What is the definition of the word worship? Some Christians believe that worship is a lot of loud singing, jumping and whatever else they may have heard or believed.
Trying to define worship is a little like defining love or hope. An attempt to do so could go on forever. But I will try to keep it as short as possible. Put simply, worship is declaring the greatness of someone or something.
It is the act of giving up your own glory to make sure everyone knows that the thing being worshiped is pretty awesome.
To put it even more succinctly, worship is bowing down to lift up. Both primary words in Hebrew and Greek for worship in the Bible mean the same thing: to bow down or lay one's face to the ground. It is an acknowledgment of God's glory. There is someone who is transcendent and glorious, and He is worthy of our full allegiance and devotion!
Worship is a declaration that God is in the Midst of all that is happening in our world today, a powerful weapon against any lie that says God is not in control or that he is not able. Worshiping together teaches us to submit and surrender all our cares to God – our priorities, plans, hopes, dreams, and even our fears.
But worship is really about what we give. Not what we receive.
Worship is bowing before our superior, in this case, God. True worship costs us something. In Romans 12:1 that cost is described as the sacrifice of self. When we come before God in worship, we humbly give ourselves up to his Lordship, proclaiming that he is worthy and exalting him in praise.
If Jonah can worship God during all of this, surely, we can worship God in the Midst of our situation! God does not stop being Sovereign because of your situation! He can do anything, anywhere for any one of His children! That is why you need to understand the power of your worship. It summons all of Heaven to meet you in Hell, just ask Jonah, "…I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice." (vs. 2). If Jonah Can Cry Out to God in the Midst of a Belly of Hell, Surely, We Can Walk into Our Pretty Sanctuary and Worship God? He lay in fish guts while we sit on cushioned seats, and we still cannot worship God? His music was the indigestion of a fish, while we have a whole minstrel section and yet we still cannot worship God. He was at the bottom of the ocean, and we sit elevated in our prestigious pulpit seating and yet we still cannot worship God? How is it that Jonah can give God his all right where he was, and yet we have not given God anything and we are in a better position than Jonah?!
It is easy to give up hope. I know "church folks" will tell you that it is not supposed to ever happen to a believer. But the truth is, life can get really hard, and heart breaking. It's difficult to keep praise on your lips when your coworker is cursing you out. It's hard to keep joy when you've lost loved ones back-to-back. It's not easy to keep shouting when your marriage is screaming divorce. It’s rough trying to teach Sunday school to other children when your own don't even attend. Life is not easy! No, not even for the believer. So never beat yourself up when you have a moment of lost hope, it happens to the best of us, from the pulpit to the door (whether we admit it or not)!
It is not correct to say that God spoke in the past but does not speak now. We cannot limit His Word or His discourse to any time. He is as ready today to enrich His seekers from the fountain of revelation as He was at any time, and the gates of His grace. He is the fountainhead of all excellence and combines in Himself all powers. All grace originates with Him, and everything returns to Him. He is the Master of all kingdoms and possesses every perfect quality. He is free from every defect and weakness. It belongs to Him alone that all those on earth and in heaven should worship Him. Nothing is beyond His power. Earth and heaven, man and animals, stones and trees, souls, and bodies, have all come into existence by His grace. God is the One Who is living today as He was living before, and Who speaks today as He spoke before, and hears today as He heard before. It is a false notion that in this age. He hears but does not speak. Indeed, He both hears and speaks. All His attributes are eternal and everlasting. None of His attributes has fallen into disuse or will fall into disuse. None of His powers lack anything. He is near and yet far, and He is far and yet near.
Let Us Be Honest, How Many Of Us Fall Into Worship Mode During Struggles? The truth is, far more often, we become snappy, our attitudes get out of control, our emotions are doom and gloom, our faith falters, our countenance falls, our hope becomes helplessness, and we invite family, friends, and even foes to our self-proclaimed pity party. It is sad but true. Rarely do we immediately fall into worship when life hits us with its worst! Philippians 4:19 says He promises to meet all our needs, But He does not promise WHEN! See, most of us already know that He can do it and that He's promised to do it, but if only He'd share WHEN He's going to do it, Would the wait be easy? Not that it is one of the hardest things to do! But remembering that God watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12); remembering that God does not and cannot lie (Numbers 23:19); placing that God keeps His Word and every promise He makes.
During what John was surrounded by, he still fell at the Lord's feet. During what Jonah faced, he still worshiped. So, what is our excuse? Do we believe trials, troubles, struggles, and tribulations are more significant than the God we serve? If that is our belief, then I am here to tell you our broken belief system needs repairs!
I think sometimes we, unfortunately, forget the Lord’s promise to us: “…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5 AMP) How do you read a promise like that and fear anything or anyone? The Lord Himself DELIBERATELY REFUSES to fail you; give you up; leave you without support and will under no circumstances leave you helpless; nor will He forsake you; let you down or relax His hold on you! You are so loved, cherished, treasured, and protected by God that He Initiated This Promise to You! You did not have to ask Him to do it, and you did not have to ask Him for it. He Chose to Give it to You Himself! So regardless of what you’re in, what you are surrounded by, what you’re going through, who you’re up against, or what you’re facing, you have full CONFIDENCE that God’s Got You COVERED!
And a bonus: You Do Not Have To Look For God In Worship; If You Worship, He Will Come Looking For You! “…true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the FATHER SEEKS.” John 4:23 (NIV).
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.com
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