Several weeks ago I wrote a friend about what I had been observing in the mission of Youth for Christ/USA. It was a short email, but focused and significant to me.
Within a few hours I received an email reply from my friend. The third sentence of this email contained the following:
“The prevailing tone is clearly that God is positioning Youth for Christ/USA to minister a message of hope and transformation at a vital time and in critical places.“
These words from my friend’s email were my words. They were my reflections that I had sent to him just hours before. My friend was endorsing, affirming and applauding the sentence that I had written.
I was really encouraged by the reply. Not only were my thoughts and insights understood, but he played back the very words I had used.
My feelings flipped on a light switch in the corners of my spiritual awareness and I was immediately transported to the throne room of God – projecting in some very infinitesimal way how it must move the heart of God when I quote back to Him the words that He has given to me, to us.
It is an act of worship when we pray the words of God. Our actions are laced with adoration and praise when we write a passage of scripture in our journal. We exalt our Heavenly Father when we affirm our undying allegiance to the commands of God as outlined in the Bible, or when we cling to God’s Word during times of testing and temptation.
The perfection of God’s Word is magnified in our soul when we replay it, when we recite it, when we communicate it – and at the same time, this act becomes an offering to our God.
For instance:
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14
or…
“And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35)
There is power when we affirm the words of an author – and never is this more true when we do this to our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God…” (Isaiah 45:5a)
No other. None beside our God. His words, etched on my heart.
It’s simple. It’s life changing. It’s an act of worship.
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