when women worship

my favorite past-time is reading. i am addicted to it. the best reading time, is really late at night, lying in bed with only the lamp on. last night was that night for me.

i laid in bed reading a book marme gave me called When Women Worship. it's really great so far and i'm loving it. i was reading along last night, letting the words just flow over me, when i came across a statement that knocked me over the head.

"True worship lies in the depth of our need of and gratitude for the Almighty."

after a short pause, i reread this sentence very slowly. it makes such sense to me. i know that some of my truest times of worship have been during my greatest need for Jesus. it didn't matter what the need was, but it was always great. these great needs could have been deaths of loved ones, problems with family or friends, sickness, salvation for loved ones, or so many other things; but they were needs that caused me to dig deeper with Jesus and find the well of living water.

true worship also comes from our gratitude for God. this isn't the same gratitude you feel towards a stranger who has held the door open for you. it's not the kind of thanks you say when someone says "bless you." this is a gratitude that goes far deeper than any of these. this is a gratitude that comes from deep in your spirit. a spirit that realizes that without the shed blood of Jesus, there would be no future for you and no hope for this world. this is the kind of gratitude that humbles you and brings you to your knees.

we must remember to bring our full worship to Him. it is usually the times we feel the least like worship that God understands and gives so much back to us.

the book goes on to discuss the needs of various women mentioned in the Bible that brought the best of their worship to Jesus. the last women mentioned is the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well. this woman had physical need of water, but that physical need drew her to a meeting place with the Almighty.

"The question is this, When you come to this place of need at the well of living water, will you be surprised if God asks something of you first?"

our human minds, full of shock, begin to stammer, "but God, that's why i'm here. i need you. i need a filling from you." the thing is, God doesn't need anything from us and Jesus probably didn't need anything from the Samaritan woman at the well, but He asked her anyway...because he wanted to. the God of the universe wants to need us.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for speaking to me through this book. Thank you for helping me understand that the best way to worship you is to have a need for you that cannot be quenched. I pray for a stirring in my soul. A hunger for more of you. I want to give you anything you desire. Please ask of me what you will. I long to dig out a deeper trench to you that will bring forth waters of eternal life, waters that will continue to sustain me through need, sorrow, joy and gratitude. Help me to never be satisfied. Stir my heart, God. I want to need you as you want to need me. You are so worthy of praise. I worship you with my whole heart.