Unconditional Worship
This week I’ve been spending time reading in the book of Job. It’s an account filled with incredible insight into who God is and how we need to posture ourselves toward Him. In case you’re not familiar with Job’s account, here’s a quick summary:
(The links throughout will take you to scripture associated with corresponding statements)
1. Job was a wealthy guy who was respected and revered by everyone in his community. He loved God and was obedient to Him.
2. Satan argues that Job’s love for God was conditional on how God had protected and blessed Job.
3. God allows Satan to test that, and in one day Job loses all of his possessions and all of his children die.
If we pause the story right here, we see an incredible reaction that we can learn from. Job is told all at once that he has lost everything; everything he has worked for AND every one of his children are gone. And in that moment, Job falls to the ground in worship.
Job 1:20: “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
May the name of the Lord be praised. Job, after this incredible tragedy, points to God and acknowledges that He has prerogative to do whatever He wants.
The story goes on, but before I move on, I just want to pause on that point and reflect on the reaction. A right perspective toward God will prompt worship, not blame, when something goes wrong. When we know the character of God and the difference between our ignorance and His all-knowing quality, our automatic reaction will be to praise God and trust that He knows best. This reaction doesn’t come from head knowledge alone, but from a love for who God is and a relationship with Him that reminds us of His incredible goodness. For unconditional worship to take place, we need to trust God’s character far above the circumstances we can see in front of us.
It’s the same reason we see Abraham willing to obey God in sacrificing Isaac. That request seemed SO unfair! Yet Abraham knew who God is. He went so far as to guess that God might raise Isaac from the dead, but he trusted God unconditionally.
As the account of Job continues, that posture of worship is tested further. Satan goes back to God and argues that Job’s faith is only because his health hasn’t been affected. So God allows Satan to test that as well, and Job is afflicted with terrible sores. So terrible in fact that when Job’s friends arrived to comfort him, they hardly recognized him and sat in silence with him for seven days.
Job wrestles back and forth between an understanding of God’s character and a feeling of unfairness and lack of justice. It’s an interesting tension to read, and only furthers the point that knowing and believing are critical. Knowing alone won’t sustain you.
In the middle of all this, Job begins to remind himself, his friends, and us about the source of wisdom. In chapter 28, Job tells us that there’s no way for us to access wisdom apart from God, and that God has told us “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Simply stated, we need to posture our hearts in reverence toward God. Worship Him unconditionally, and in that trust and reverence we will find wisdom.
James 1:5-8 says “If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
It’s not enough to just know that God is in charge of the world. We have to know He’s in control of our lives and believe in who He is; in His goodness and love for us and in His understanding that is far beyond our own. Our reaction, regardless of the circumstances that we can see in our limited scope, will be to fall to the ground in worship.
A friend shared this song with me this past week, which fit’s perfectly with this reading. It’s called “I Will Follow” by Vertical Church. The lyrics are declaring this exact lesson, that God will be praised regardless of circumstance. The chorus says:
I believe everything that You say You are
I believe that I have seen Your unchanging heart
In the good things and in the hardest part
I believe and I will follow You