Page 39 - Job

Unfortunately this is what is happening among Christians today. They are
praising the God of their experience, and since they have not
experienced much, their worship is more shallow than deep.
I have never experienced God as the joy giver for dying martyrs.
Anybody know why? Simply because I am not a dying martyr. So I have
never experienced God that way. I have never known God as the healer of
broken hearts. As far as I know, I have never had a truly broken heart.
Maybe I did and didn’t know it. Can I praise Him that He is the healer of
broken hearts even though my heart has never been broken? You see, that
is real worship. Praising God for what He is apart from my own
experience.

I have never experienced Him as the orphan’s friend. You see, I am not an
orphan. I have never experienced Him as the One who is close by in the
“valley of the shadow of death”. As far as I know I have never been
that close to death. God can preserve your life and you do not even know
about it. But as far as I know, I have never been in the “valley of the
shadow of death”. I have never lingered on a death bed. I have never
been in a serious accident. Can I still praise Him for the One who walks
with me in the valley? Surely I can.

Do you see what I’m saying? I have never been diseased. I have never
been surrounded by ten thousand men. I have never been in a raging
storm. I have never been demon possessed. I have never been raised from
the dead. And yet, this book presents Him as the One who does all of that.
And so I am to praise Him for all of those things. Satan is the accuser. He
accuses men of being subjective (all about themselves) and God of being
unworthy of worship. He always does the same thing because it seems to
always work. God is intrinsically wonderful. He has, in Himself,
everything you need to worship Him.
Editor’s note:
If you look up the word “worship” you will find that it is
derived from and Old English word that meant “worth
ship”. It was completely intended to describe the value
of the one to be praised. Both the Hebrew and the Greek
words for worship picture prostrating oneself at the feet
in reverent submission to the glory and honor of Diety.

Have you ever done this, in so many words, just bowed before God and
praised Him for all the goodness you have not tasted yet? For all the grace
you have not tasted yet? For things He will show you tomorrow that you

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