John 4:23-24
“‘It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.’”
“‘But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’”
The Father wants only us. We grow up adding one layer of insulation after another, all to prevent hurt and assure success. What took us years to accumulate takes years to shed too. The Spirit gently debrides our soul of dead pieces of ‘flesh’. He doesn’t push us beyond what he knows we can stand. But it still hurts. In the shedding, our spirits emerge more truly ourselves, capable of healthy relationship with God and others. Those willing to honestly worship God in spirit are surprised by joy.
Lord, thank you a thousand times for debriding my life. I feel light, like I could fly. And the trauma of healing is fading just like the pain of childbirth. I am left with joy and gratitude, learning in my spirit to ‘enjoy you forever,’ as the Westminster Confession avers. Please faithfully hover over my dear ones as you have over me. May all of us, in our spirits, be wrapped up with you into a blessed eternity.