Extravagant Worship...    

The last several months have been a constant battle. It seems the closer I get to God the harder Satan attacks. Isn’t it strange that all of us who pursue God must be prepared to confront things? We must face our fears & survive the stares of our peers who either do not approve of who we are now, or sneer at us because of who we once were.

We must know that every step we take is moving us closer & closer to our destiny. The bitter taste of fear is neutralized by the sweet expectation of victory! Through all the trials & situations I have faced, I have grown closer to God & learned more about His love for me. I am a GO type of person; my family & friends will tell you that I burn the candle at both ends every day. Even though my busy-ness was for God, I’d forgotten why I was doing the things I did, & Who I was doing them for.

The “Who” was the most important factor & the exact thing I had taken for granted. I had been more intent on not disappointing, hurting, or losing the wrong people in my life. My focus should have been on the One who saved my life, picked me up out of the dirt, & made me pure.

Even though she was known as the “sinner woman”, the woman with the alabaster box lay aside her fears as she entered a room full of self-righteous people. The only thing that kept her from turning & walking away was that she saw Him.

Women of God, when you see Jesus, all fear vanishes. One look into the warm eyes of a loving Savior can disarm everything life uses to assault peace. Though it sometimes happens in a public place, when we recognize the presence of God we are immediately alone with Him; & that is the most glorious place we can be.

There He was. The Master Himself. The Comforter, The Healer, The Savior, Her Best Friend, Her Lover. He no longer seemed like a stranger. All other thoughts vanished. Her eyes were now locked on His. Something about Him demanded her attention. He had changed her life. He healed her self-esteem & altered her tragic path of failures & poor decisions. She just wanted to say thanks. But, face to face words failed her.

She fell to His feet. I can’t help wondering how those who said they loved Him the most could stand with such indifference in the presence of such power. Taking for granted the presence of an awesome God. Herein is, in my opinion, the greatest threat to those of us who have been Christians for a long time – our tendency to take for granted the presence of Christ.

God kept bringing me to this point of dependence through situations in my life & I couldn’t stand it. Until finally one day I just gave up, threw up my white flag & leaned on Him as DADDY. I longed to be held & comforted & healed & put back together all at the same time. The only person in the world who could do this, did this for me in just a single moment at just the right time. He wasn’t late or early, He was right on time.

He held me in His arms, He comforted me with songs & promises, He sang over me, He healed the raw wounds, & He put all the pieces back exactly where they belong. True worship strips away pretense & reveals our naked need of The Lord.

She lay at His feet remembering where she had come from.

She sobbed at His feet; every word escaped her. Her tears spoke the words her lips could not say. It was as if everyone had left the room but this one woman and Jesus. She was alone with the Lover of her soul. She was with Him & all was well for one solitary, stolen moment of history.

She had become so engrossed in the lavish love of her Savior that she had forgotten to give Him His gift. She found the gift (worth a years wages) in the fold of her fabric. Her alabaster box. She could have auctioned it off for money. But it was not for gain. It was for love. She raised the exquisite box designed to hold the exotic perfume and as the on-lookers watched in disbelief, she broke it at His feet. The aroma of her praise filled the room.

Women of God, your praise can make a difference in the entire atmosphere of a meeting.

Men don’t mean to but many times they miss the opportunity to be intimate with God because they are engulfed in the politics. Sadly we all become so busy with His work that we fail to lie at His feet, as have I. She had profoundly affected the Master. It was obvious to the on-lookers, in that one act of kindness, that true praise is expensive. She knelt at His feet & worshipped the only way she knew how. This woman effected massive change with her praise and her giving. She gave herself, her substance, and her time. The greatest legacy she leaves for women to understand is this: You have the ability to make a difference if you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God giving Him what you feel without regard for what other people think.

- Vik Chik