The Restoration of Worship

Josiah also restored the beauty and purity of worship. He knew that the road back was to put the Law of God into the hands of the people, but maintaining the nation's moral strength required worship to be a priority. Moral convictions rooted in God's nature are linked directly to the worship of God. When the moral law of God is the blueprint for life then the worship that follows shows reverence to the God in whose being that law is revealed. That worship builds strength to fortify us against evil.

The lack of worship has led to the declining influence of Christianity today. When we do not worship, our adherence to God's law falls apart. There is no communication with God, no heartfelt desire to love and honor and treasure the Word of God. The end result is a nation lost at sea, desiring all the benefits of a moral law but unwilling to live a life defined by it. We have lost the reverence and love of worship.

Josiah restored worship, and we can each influence our culture as well. It is one of the simplest steps in giving us the power to change. One small discipline in our lives will yield huge dividends that touch every part of our lives.

What do you worship? During the time of Paul, the city of Athens worshipped the mind. Intellect meant everything to them. In stark contrast, the city of Corinth worshipped sexual passions. In Corinth, an empty shell stands today testifying to its history. In Athens, the glory of that city of intellect is visible only in the ruins of a few buildings. Where did their worship of temporary things get the people of those times? The populations of those times are long gone.

Worship of God has eternal consequences. When we worship God, we benefit not only during our lifetime, but we set an example for future generations and we set up an eternity of joy.

When worship is restored to society, it gives the people the power to change. We are rescued from the enslavement of our weakness as humans. We think we have strength without God, but in reality we are reduced to empty shells trapped within the confines of a world bent on ever-increasing evil. Only through worship, which releases within us the power of God, can we develop the power to make the changes we know are right.

What do You Think?

How might God honor our efforts to restore faith and worship?

next: the unmasking of evil

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How Christ Responds to Evil

Author George MacDonald points out how Jesus Christ responded to the problem of wickedness and evil in His time. It was a refreshing response:

"Instead of crushing the power of evil by divine force; instead of compelling justice and destroying the wicked; instead of making peace on earth by the rule of a perfect prince; instead of gathering the children of Jerusalem under His wings--whether they would or would not, and saving them from the horrors that anguished His prophetic soul--He let evil work its will while He lived; He contented Himself with the slow unencouraging ways of help essential; making men good; casting out, not merely controlling Satan... Throughout His life on earth, He resisted every impulse to work more rapidly for the lower good--strong, perhaps, when He saw old age and innocence and righteousness trodden under foot"