40 Days of Prayer, Day 7
Day 7, Saturday, August 27
“By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.” Psalm 51:18-19
The Joy of Religious Expression
God takes no delight in heartless sacrifice. He does not delight in religious expression when the heart is far from Him. When sin dominates, religious rites offend God. However, God loves our tangible acts of worship. He loves our worship when our hearts are engaged. In verse 16, David stated God’s displeasure with sacrifices. However, just two sentences later in verse 18, he states that God delights in sacrifices. What a difference verse 17 makes! When we have contrite and broken hearts before God, He receives our worship. The heart of the worshiper is the difference in God’s attitude toward our worship. David distinguished between the sacrifice offered in verse 18 from the rejected sacrifice described in 16 with the word “righteous.” God loves “righteous sacrifices.” God distains religious expression offered without a right relationship with Him. God is a God of relationships. If our relationship with Him isn’t right, no amount of religious actions can bridge the relationship. But God loves it when we use tangible expressions to worship Him when our relationship with Him is right. When we approach Him in humility and contrition for sin, He welcomes our worship because He is a God of relationships. As we approach this coming Sunday, now is the time to prepare our hearts, minds and bodies for a time of worship. There is great joy in bringing to God tangible expression of our love for Him.
Prayer Focus
God, prepare my heart for worship. Use the gathering of the church and our offering of song, prayer, service, fellowship and giving as a means to please You and to fill our hearts with joy. Reveal to us any areas that are causing a barrier to our relationship with You. Refine us and restore us. Maximize our worship for You and Maximize our joy in our relationship with You. Amen.
From Bunyan’s The Acceptable Sacrifice
Here, therefore, is suitableness. 'Can two walk together, ' asks God, 'except they be agreed?' (Amos 3:3). The broken-hearted desires God's company; when will you come to me? He asks. The broken-hearted loves to hear God speak and talk to him. Here is what is fitting. 'Make me, ' He says, 'to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice' (Ps. 51:8). But here lies the glory, in that the high and lofty One, the God that inhabits eternity, and that was a high and holy place for his habitation, should choose to dwell with, and to be a companion of the broken in heart, and of them that are of a contrite spirit. Yes, and here also is great comfort for such.