ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
God is IMMUTABLE
God does not change. All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging.
Psalm 102:25-28
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”
Praise God because He is Immutable.
Think about the earth changing and seasons coming and going. God will never change. He will never cease to exist. Praise Him because He endures and does not change.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for people in Ukraine. Ask God to end this war and to cause the church in Ukraine to flourish even in this hardship.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Hebrews 12:18-29 – Christian Standard Bible
18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
A Better Kingdom
A kingdom is the realm of a king’s will. It is where what the king wants done is done. Jesus told us to pray that God’s “will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a prayer encouraging us to enter fully into the kingdom now. A prayer for us to see God’s eternal kingdom as being operational in and around us. God’s kingdom cannot be shaken and it cannot be taken; it is eternal. All other kingdoms are doomed to fail. Think about the people you live and work around. Each one has their own little “mini-kingdom.” It is the realm of where they live as the center and they try to impose their will on others. When their will is blocked, they become angry or depressed. We make terrible kings. As image bearers of the true King, we are made to “rule,” but only under him and for others. Never independent of him and never over others. A very important part of living in God’s kingdom now is to continually practice gratitude and to live lives of worship. Now the fact is that we do worship. We can put any number of people or things at the center of our lives. We must worship God with “acceptable” worship. Worship full of reverence and awe. Why? Because the God we worship is our father, he is even our friend…but never forget he is also a “consuming fire.” He is the God who lives on Mt Zion, but he is not a different God than the one who shook Mt Sinai. Draw near to him now. But draw near with reverence and awe. Thinking these thoughts will help you worship him.