“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning …” (Psalm 110:3)
Afflictions lay us low. In the worst of them, we have no place to look but up, nowhere else to turn but to God.
Whatever brings us to our knees is a good thing. Maybe it was the only thing that could wake us up. Until that life-changing moment, we were under the illusion that we could manage without God’s close supervision of our lives. But then our life became unmanageable. In brokenness and humility, we were suddenly willing to look outside of ourselves: it was time to stop relying on ourselves, and start trusting in God.
True worship is a sweet-smelling savor to God because it always proceeds from a willing heart. Repentance often comes on the heels of trouble. Having made a mess of our life we are forced to our knees. The journey home of the prodigal son began with the sobering realization of where his godless choices had brought him. The return to God can be jump-started in a pigpen or prison. Once “home” though, a life of worship can begin as we voluntarily bend our knee to the God who is worthy of our every breath.
In the day of our power, we are unwilling to surrender our autonomy. We are in control; we call the shots. But in the day of God’s power, He is in control. We are willing to do His will at all times. We worship Him “in the beauties of holiness.” What a change has been engineered in our lives! Living for God is no longer looked upon as a stifling, restrictive prison; it is seen as a privilege, and it is our pleasure. (It also keeps us out of pigpens.)