“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬

In John 4 we have Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. There are many lessons that can be learned from this passage, but I want to focus on the subject of worship, which is the reason for this encounter. The Lord met this woman right where she was and put His finger on the deep need of her heart. He pointed out to her that she thirsted for something, but she didn’t even know what it was. He showed her just how empty her life had been as she tried to satisfy the deep longing in her heart. She had a void that five husbands could not fill. Living in sin could not satisfy or fulfill the emptiness her heart felt. Why? She was created to worship her Creator and to have a relationship with Him.

When the subject of worship came up, the Lord mentioned that the Father is seeking worshipers and that since God is Spirit, He must be worshiped in spirit and truth. This woman was searching for the meaning of life but needed to realize that spiritually she was dead. Only through an encounter with the God who is Spirit could she be made alive in her own spirit. Like this woman at the well, our spirit had to be quickened—made alive—and once it is, we are able to worship God in spirit.

If we try to hide our sin from God, if we have not confessed it before Him, we will not be able to worship Him. This is what King David experienced in his spirit. He described it as his bones growing old and his vitality being turned into the drought of summer (Ps. 32:3–5). David found it impossible to worship until he acknowledged his sin (Ps. 51:14–17). He could not hide from God what was in his heart. God desires truth in the inward parts (Ps. 51:6). This is the meaning of worshiping God in spirit and truth.

Anchor For Today:
Father of lights, whose will divine Has by Thy truthful word
Begotten us, and made us Thine, For aye be Thou adored.