How do you prepare to meet God? I don’t mean prepare to meet Him when you die, but prepare to meet with Him here on earth in your regular life. Or, do you ever give it thought?
I was in church Sunday morning and found myself thrown for a loop. Caught completely off-guard by a seemingly minor change in the church service. Traditionally, our church has always started service by standing and taking a moment of silent prayer. This Sunday, though, we didn’t do it. We still started with a prayer, but it was sitting down and it wasn’t silent. I was unexpectedly thrown off by this change and it took me half the service to shake it off and get my head focused back on why I was there.
Why did such a small change upset me so much? I’m usually the champion of changes and, at heart, I’m eager to see what God has planned for us next. So, why did this one small change throw off my morning?
It wasn’t really about the change, but rather about not being prepared for worship. Not taking the time to set apart this time to be with God. I’ve embraced the moment of silent prayer as a way to set the next hour apart for worship. I take a deep breath and ask God to separate me from the rest of the world for this one hour. To block out all the other voices of this world and let me hear Him. It’s my way to prepare and enter into worship.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (Exodus 19:10-11)
When God went down to visit the Israelites in the desert, He told Moses to have the people prepare for His visit. God instructed them to consecrate themselves and wash before He came. God wanted the people to be prepared for a visit with the Holy One.
God wants us to prepare appropriately for meeting Him. This is not a casual meeting, but a holy encounter. God wants us to be consecrated; set aside and made ready for being in His presence.
The washing of the clothes was an act of purification and reverence. Just as we might make sure we’ve had a bath, washed our hair and put on our “Sunday best” to come to church, God asked the people of Israel to clean up before coming into His presence.
What “dirt” of the world do you need to wash away or leave behind so you can come before God with a humble and open heart?
Consecration was a way to prepare spiritually for the holy encounter. It’s a reference to abstaining from any indulgence that might take your heart and mind away from God.
From what personal indulgences do you need to abstain so you can fully commit your heart and mind to God?
On Sunday mornings, I prepare by putting away my to-do list and my phone, blocking out all the other thoughts and conversations running through my mind, setting aside all the issues and arguments and worries that seem to crowd my thoughts. I take a deep cleansing breath to ‘wash away’ the dirt of the world I brought in the door with me and then I open my heart to hear God.
How do you prepare for a Holy encounter? How do you prepare to meet God – during church, during your prayer time, on a retreat? In what ways can you wash off the “dirt” of the world and prepare spiritually for the encounter, so you can meet God with an open heart and mind?
I realized Sunday how crucial this preparation is for me and my time with God each week. I want to be expectantly ready to hear Him and encounter Him. I want to approach Him with a ready heart to accept His Word and be fully in His presence.
I’ll embrace this change, but will be looking for new ways to prepare my heart.
What about you?
“The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture
and not alone my their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. O come, let
us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. They did not come
with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of his greatness and
majesty, and came with a sense of privilege to His house.” (H.H. Rowley “Worship in
Ancient Israel” p. 257)
inspiredtolivefully says
I prepare my heart and mind to receive Him by singing worship in my head or aloud. You talked about adoration and I usually have some worship song in my head that talks about His character. It positions me to enter that most holy place. Happy to be visiting from #Raralinkup.
Kathryn says
Wonderful way to start and prepare to meet God!
Candace says
I love the idea of asking God “to separate me from the rest of the world” during worship. What a perfect way to refocus and set my mind straight for that time. My mind wanders. It truly spins all the time. I catch myself making a to-do list in my head while trying to hear our preacher. Thanks for this reminder, Kathryn!
Kathryn says
My prayer each Sunday morning (maybe should be more often) is for God to block out the sounds and voices of this world, so I can hear Him with my ears, my heart and my mind. I think being explicit about the ask to block out the world and set the time apart makes a difference – and reminds me that I’ve decided to set the time apart, so I’m less likely to allow my mind to wander.
Surrounded by the Spirit says
Hi Kathryn! I really like this topic because I am a creature of habit, and any change does make me a little unsettled. What a great metaphor for being ready! I never looked at it that way, but I totally get it. Being with the Lord is the best appointment of my week, so why don’t I take more time to make sure I’m ready?
I know that I crave quiet, and that is one of the best ways for me to address the ‘busy head’. I think I’ll have to remember it even more often now.
From #RaRa Linkup,
Ceil
Kathryn says
I’ve always said I “do change” for a living (it’s really a big part of my work life), so was quite a surprise to see how this one affected me. I didn’t realize how important this preparation step had become for me – and I think I really needed it this week 🙂 This moment of quiet preparation helps me quiet down all the chatter in my head and get ready to focus.
Ruth says
I have been thinking about this recently and I was starting to fear if I have ever truly met God. I over analyse my prayers and get distracted in church. But your post has given me some perspective and like Candace says below, I love the idea of separating myself from the world. This has really helped me in my understanding of being in God’s presence and what a display of his grace! 🙂
Kathryn says
I think we meet God more times that we even recognize. I find I’m more likely to notice Him and hear Him if I’ve stilled my inner thoughts and opened my heart. This preparation step has become more critical than I realized – until I didn’t have it.
Tai East says
Wonderful post, Kathryn! I am always blessed by your words! Thank you for sharing this! Infinite blessings to you, Love! 🙂
Holly Barrett says
It’s a question I am struggling with every day. Thanks for your encouraging words.
Linda@Creekside says
Ah, that C.S. Lewis quote is worth its weight in gold, Kathryn. What a beautiful subject – preparing our hearts for worship, for encounter, for His presence and movement.
Wonderful words of life …
Kelly Balarie says
Thank you so much Kathryn. You are readying my heart to encounter Christ. There is power and meaning behind your questions. I cheer on your insight, and how you weaved truth into this story, from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith.
dawnklinge says
I know that I don’t do enough to prepare myself to spend time with God. That’s why I clicked on your link when I read the headline. You’ve given me something to think about. Thank you. Often, by the time I get to church, I’m frazzled from trying to get everyone there on time, and my morning time of prayer could use some preparation as well. Thank you for sharing this. I’m visiting from Grace and Truth link up.
Donna Stone says
Sometimes it is hard to focus and settle down, to be prepared. I think the practice of continually seeking Him through prayer, worship, song, study, any of these is good. For me it is probably prayer, although I tend to break into song during prayer, or start praying during study!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
Jennifer @ A Divine Encounter says
Thank you for encouraging us to prepare for worship with intentionality. I tend to think it would be ideal to approach each and every day this way, expecting to encounter Him throughout our moments and our days. What a precious gift is His presence within us! Thank you for linking up with us at Grace & Truth.