Who are you? For many of us the answer to this question is found in the things we do. We are students, or we are parents. We are lawyers, or builders, or farmers, or police officers. Yet, even as we explore our work, our relationships and our activities, we realise that who we are goes deeper than all of this. And so we begin to think about our personalities, our culture, our gender, our language, our characteristics, our faith and our values. And again, we discover that while we have uncovered some of the truths of who we are, there is still so much more to explore.
Last night, as I was facilitating a conversation about worship, one of the participants commented that it’s impossible to really worship, to really encounter God until we know ourselves. I had to stop and think for a while, and then it struck me – we can’t know ourselves without worshiping God. We don’t wait until we know ourselves and then come into a relationship with God. It’s as we go deeper into intimacy with God that we discover our true selves.
In Jeremiah 1:5 God calls the young prophet into service with these words: "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations."
David, in his wonderful Psalm, offers a similar thought: “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:15,16)
God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. God has formed us, gifted us and called us each into our unique journey. And we cannot really know any of this without connecting with the God from whom it all flows.
In John 4 Jesus is in conversation with a Samaritan woman. She asks him whether the correct place to worship is on the hill where Jacob’s well was, or at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus replies with the famous words: “…The time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth…” (John 4:23 NLT)
Spirit and truth are not two separate things. It is God’s Spirit who leads us into truth (John 16:13). It is as God’s Spirit reaches out for connection with our spirits that worship happens, that we are drawn into intimate encounter with God. And it is as we lose ourselves in worship that we discover our true selves.
One of the best ways we can open ourselves to worship in Spirit and Truth is through praise. As we lift our voices and hearts in adoration to God, we find ourselves being caught up in a vision of God’s glory and beauty. We discover that we are enveloped by God’s Presence, and we begin to learn a little of the truth about God. But, equally, as we praise God, we discover the truth about ourselves. In the light of God’s Presence, we can’t help but recognize those things that are destructive and broken, the places where we still need to change and grow. And, we are also able to see those places within us that reflect God’s glory and beauty, that bring life to others and ourselves, and that are moving to the rhythms of God’s Kingdom.
Who are you? You may never be able to put the answer into words. But, as you lose yourself in worship, you will find yourself in the embrace of the God who knew you before you were even conceived.