TRACKS IN THE SNOW

Years ago my father used to entertain my child's mind and fantasy by saying, "Son, there's been a train come through here; I see its tracks." He reinforced the idea that things that happen leave their evidence behind. When I was six, he began taking me into the woods with him when he would go squirrel or rabbit hunting. He would show me the tracks and markings of wildlife. My favorite time for such adventures was after a not-too-deep-for-little-legs snowfall when the tracks were easy to see. He would show me the tracks and then help me identify what they were . . . . fox, dog, rabbit, squirrel, quail, . . . Those were memorable days that charged my joy, challenged my mind, and changed my life.

Not long ago we got our first snow of the winter . . . and was it a "doozie"! In less than a twenty-four hour period, we got almost eight inches of beautifying touch from God's hand. It was hard to concentrate in the office that day, tempted so often to sit and gaze out the window and watch the surrounding woods slowly change from dark bare shadows into artistic contrasting brush strokes of blacks, grays, browns, and whites . . . . all pointing upward and outward in graceful lines of nature's acknowledgement to God's creative power.

The next day, as Jo Ann and I drove out our long driveway through the trees and past the small pond, I commented about all the deer tracks that could be seen in the snow. They were everywhere, criss-crossing the yard's expanse with a random pattern that made you want to stop and gaze . . . . gaze at the tracks, gaze into the direction from which they had come, and gaze toward the direction they had gone. It stimulated the mind . . . it stirred up the imagination. What was it that had come this way? What did that creature leave behind? Where did it get the courage to step out into the open? Is it lurking there, watching me from the darkness of the brush and trees?

As we drove past those myriad of trails, the Holy Spirit seemed to speak to my heart. In my mind, I imagined Him leaning toward me and, with a wise grin and an amused chuckle, saying, "Worship leaves tracks too, you know."

"Ever wonder what they are?"
Did my mind ever race! "The Tracks of Worship!" What an intriguing thought!

But it's true . . . . worship does leave tracks. If tracks are evidence of things that have passed this way, and if we have entered into genuine worship, then how would others know we've worshipped? Is it because we can show them our Sunday bulletin? Is it because we make sure we tell them we "went to worship yesterday."?

I don't know . . . . maybe you've never thought of that, and maybe I'm really off base, but it seems to me that if we have entered into a true and genuine occasion of unhindered worship with the Father, it will show to others around us. We have our choice . . . . we can toot our own horn, wear our own robe of self-righteousness, and jingle our own bells at the hem of our garments like the publican did, . . .

. . . Or we can let the Holy Spirit "make tracks" in our stead.

So . . . strange as it may sound, friend, I want to briefly share what I believe to be some of worship's "tracks" —- evidences that we have really worshipped, and have not settled just for an exercise, an event, a routine, or an experience.

Yesterday afternoon as we drove home, I thought about some of the phrases we use in public services to entice people to worship. We say things like, "worship services" as if it were a scheduled activity. We say things like, "let us enter into the experience of worship" as if it were an event. So often we can't seem to shed the idea that worship is a task oriented or performance oriented occasion. We still haven't learned that worship is an encounter with the very person of God, coming into His presence, and just being there.

Well . . . . while these are certainly not all of them, here are some of worship's "tracks" that I believe the Holy Spirit showed me. Frankly, I don't know if they follow a progression like tracks of a deer or not. It seems to me that they might. Most animals' tracks are distinct, and you can tell what the animal is by the shape, formation, and size of the tracks. You can also tell where it's been, and where it has gone. I think maybe worship is the same way. . . there are distinctive evidences that we have been in the presence of the Lord in an intimate and life-changing way.

See if you recognize any of these tracks. See if any of them are evidenced in your life as you leave the seclusion of radical and intimate worship and go into the world to help change it.

TRACKS OF WORSHIP:

Just as the deer tracks proved to me it had walked this way, I think the following will reveal if we've really been in God's presence. I originally started with five evidences; that list soon grew significantly. Whether or not they are sequential, one thing is true . . . . the tracks of worship progressively change from Godward to inward to outward as they make their marks on our lives.

So, let's follow this trail:

Humiliating Unworthiness: When we have entered into the very presence of a holy and righteous God, if we, like Isaiah, are really seeing Him, we will immediately see our filthy rags of self righteousness. Such exposure will be humiliating, but we deserve to be humiliated. We need to be told again just how unworthy we really are. We need to be reminded again and again that we can come to the Father Only through the righteousness and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should feel inferior, because we are. We should feel unworthy, because we are. We should be ashamed of our negligence, our carnality, our selfishness. If we have genuinely worshipped the Father, even though we know we are fully accepted in the Beloved One, there should still be the evidence of unworthiness on our minds. We should hear ourselves saying, "I'm not worthy to be here; I don't deserve this privilege."
Humbled Awe: When we realize that true worship happens because we've been personally invited into the presence of Holy God, we should respond like Isaiah again . . . . "Wow!" When in our spirits we see Him in all His glory and majesty, His beauty will leave us speechless; His fragrance will leave us breathless; His power will leave us helpless. A clear evidence that we have been with God is that we continually walk in awe of Him and, like Moses, realize we are daily on holy ground. We should live each day of the week with a sense of wonderment over the majesty and goodness of God. As I've said before, we should walk around a lot with our mouths hanging open in amazement.

When Moses came down from the mountain, Paul tells us his face shown because he had been in the presence of God. So should ours.
Heartfelt Gratitude: This goes without saying. Literally hundreds of times in scripture we are told to be thankful, to give thanks. A grateful heart . . . . every day of the week . . . . is a sure sign that such a person has encountered God in intimate worship somewhere along the way.
Mysterious Contemplation: I'm not even sure "mysterious" is the word I'm looking for. All I know is that, when we have worshipped God is the truest sense, it leaves us with an awfully lot to think about. Isn't it tragic that, for most of us, the first thing on our minds following a typical worship service is getting to the restaurant before the line gets too long, when what we ought to be doing is contemplating the mystery and unfathomable depth of what just happened to us. What do you think . . . . wouldn't it be a good exercise to be certain we have adequate time to think about those moments we just had in God's presence, rather than rush off to "business as usual"?
Sweet Contentment: Can you think of anything that would give you greater satisfaction and contentment that a genuine encounter of pure, unadulterated worship? Can you think of anything more fulfilling? There is nothing. A sure sign of recent worship is a sense of sweet contentment that manifests itself in our demeanor and in our conduct.
Relaxing Peace: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God." That's what Paul said in Romans 1. In Galatians he reminded us of "the peace of God that passes all understanding." One of the evidences of God's presence in our lives is peace . . . . not only because it is part of the fruit of the Spirit, but also because it is an automatic response to having met with God in worship. How can it be otherwise? If He is the God of Peace, then being around Him in worship will show itself in us. We'll stop striving so much; we'll not be so anxious; we'll be more relaxed and serene. Worship's evidence includes a heart at peace.
Unabashed Love: If you have come into God's presence in worship, you cannot keep from loving Him unashamedly. Not only that, but you will also love what He loves . . . and that's people. And His Church. You'll love people, you'll love the Church, you'll love serving Him . . . you'll even love yourself. Because God is love, so where God is, there is love. And if you've been where God is as you've worshipped (and if you haven't been where He is, you haven't worshipped), then you're in the presence of Love . . . a love that cannot help but be manifested in your life before Him and before others.
Heightened Sensitivity: Nothing in this world will make you more alert to things around you like will worship. There's something supernatural that happens when we worship the Lord. Our spiritual senses are refined, both as it pertains to God and also to people and things around us. We begin to discover the difference between "logos" and "rhema". We learn the difference between simple discovery and spiritual discernment. Evil becomes more evil; darkness becomes blacker. Righteousness becomes more pure in our minds. Truth becomes more absolute. Shades of gray disappear into either coal blackness or brilliant sunlight. The Word of God, the sovereignty of God, the wickedness of the world, the sinfulness of man . . . . all of these and more become more obvious to us. When the callousness of the world's clamor and the spiritual blindness from the Great Deceiver are done away with, we can know . . . . really know.
Clarity of Purpose: I wish I had known as a young Minister to Youth that the first and best way to discover God's will was to simply come into His presence to worship. That's where you get to know more of Who He is. Then you'll know What He's about, and What Is His purpose for you. You'll never know God's purpose if you don't know His Person. I love that passage that says something about knowing the works of God but not knowing the ways of God. There's a big difference. If you want to know God's purpose and plan for you, go worship. If you've truly worshipped, it will show in your life as you demonstrate a clear sense of purpose and direction as to how He wants to use you.

10. Joyful Obedience: When Paul described the processional, prerequisite, and recessional of worship in Romans 12:1-2, it ended with our "reasonable service of worship". Worship that does not evidence itself in service and obedience, is a tainted and corrupt worship. Worship is not only for God's glory and our good, but it is also for a testimony before others. "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." He leaves no room for excuses and justifying disobedience in any form.

11. Servant Spirit: When you have been met by the Servant Master in worship, others will find you on your knees with a wash basin in one hand and a towel in the other. It is impossible to worship God truly and come out of it with an independent or self-serving attitude. You will want to do what the four lepers in II Kings did . . . you'll want to let others know about the bounty by going to them as a servant and letting them know where the deliverance is.

12. Passionate Compassion: Yesterday I gave my assessment of my friend, Allen, to his congregation. When I gave these four words, I saw smiles all across the audience. I described him as a man of "passionate compassion" and of "compassionate passion". When we worship the Father in spirit and in truth, we will be people of great passion that drives us unrelentlessly, sometimes almost to the point of exhaustion. Likewise, that sense of drivenness will be bridled and tempered by compassion . . . the capacity to identify with those around us who are wandering, struggling, hurting. Because that's the spirit of Jesus, the only place we can find it is in His presence in intimate worship. Once we have met Him there, it will exude from our lives before all who are around us.

13. Kinder Relationships: It's my observation that one's concept of God greatly influences his relationship with other people. If you see God as ruthless, angry, and harshly judging people, then that's the way you'll treat others . . . . primarily to gain God's approval or to practice your own little version of self flagellation. However, if you see God as, while clearly being just, righteous, and holy, also being loving, fatherly, patient, and longsuffering, then your moments of worship with Him will leave tracks of patience and kindness around those with whom you associate. Genuine Worship evidences itself in your more tender and generous relationships with others. If you think that isn't true, just examine the way you treat your wife after you've had a very special encounter with the Lord.

14. Expectant Hope: There's something about worship that builds within us an ever-growing hope and confidence. When you meet God in the holy of holies, you come out of it with a certainty that, in the final analysis, God is going to fulfill His purpose, and His is going to keep His promises. He will indeed be faithful to you. He will do what He said. He will complete that which He has begun. He will be with you in the darkest hours. He will not leave you or forsake you. He will lift you up lest you fall. He will be sure you are not left behind.

FINALLY:

Well . . . that's quite a trail from the mystery of worship across the meadows of life to the unknowns of what lies ahead. But, it is filled with clear and guiding tracks that let us know, first, if we've been where we should have been and, second, if we're headed where we need to be going. I hope my thoughts have encouraged you, my friend. That's the only reason I write.

I hope you identified some of worship's tracks in your recent pilgrimage. They're there . . . even if the dry leaves of winter may be hiding them. Let the breeze of the Spirit uncover them today.

Have a great week!

In His Bond and For His Glory,

Bob Tolliver — Rom 1:11-12
Copyright December, 2002
Life Unlimited Ministries
lifeunlimited@pobox.com