Twice during Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God provided water from a rock. In both instances, God’s people were encamped in a waterless desert. The first time (Ex 17) was toward the beginning of the forty years of wandering. The second time (Num 20) was toward the end. In both cases, the people, thirsty and fearing death, grumbled against Moses. They questioned Moses’ (and by extension, God’s) motivation for bringing them out of Egypt.

“But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”” (Exodus 17:3, ESV)

“And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”” (Numbers 20:5, ESV)

At Horeb (the first instance), Moses sought God for direction. God instructed Moses to take his staff and go before the people along with the elders of Israel. God promised to appear before Moses on the rock, where he was to strike the rock with his staff and God would produce water from the rock so the people could drink. Moses named the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling). The idea of quarreling implies a legal contention. The people came together to make a case against Moses. In verse 7 it says they “tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?”

At Kadesh (the second instance), Moses again sought God for direction. He and Aaron went together to the tent of meeting and fell on their faces before God. The scripture says that God’s glory appeared to them and the LORD gave them very specific instructions. This time, instead of taking Moses’ rod, they were to take the staff that was “before the LORD.” This referred to Aaron’s staff, the one that had miraculously budded after Korah’s rebellion when God had vindicated Aaron as a priest. Moses was to take that staff to the rock, but this time, instead of striking the rock, God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and God would again provide water. God provided water as promised, even though Moses & Aaron didn’t obey God’s instruction completely, but they were not permitted to lead God’s people into the promised land as a result. The LORD characterized their disobedience as unbelief and a failure to uphold God as holy before the people.

As I reflect on these two very similar stories, the context surrounding them captures my attention.

The first instance immediately follows the crossing of the Red Sea and the provision of manna from heaven.

The second story immediately follows Korah’s rebellion, where the ground opened up and swallowed up Korah’s household and God’s fire consumed the 250 men offering incense. When the people were offended at God’s judgment, a plague broke out killing an additional 14,700 people before Aaron was able to intercede and stop the plague. This was followed by God’s vindication of Aaron’s leadership when his rod miraculously budded as a sign confirming God’s unique calling upon his life as a priest.

It boggles my mind how a people could witness both God’s miraculous deliverance and provision, or God’s mighty acts of judgment, and so quickly move again into a place of complaining, unbelief, and dishonor toward God. It’s a good thing we never struggle that way.

Our need for God’s provision is real. There are times where we need water and all we have is a rock in the desert. We serve a God who is well able to provide. Yet still we grumble. We complain. We question his motives or even his presence. How often, I wonder, in the midst of present lack, do we quickly lose sight of our past experience with God. He has delivered us before, but in the moment of present struggle we can easily forget. He has provided for us before, but in the moment that reality easily fades from our consciousness. We have grumbled and complained before and that hasn’t gone well for us either. Thank God that this side of the cross God’s justice and wrath have been fully satisfied in Christ.

Do we sometimes think that if God would just appear, then we would believe? If he would just give us some kind of sign, then our doubts would vanish? If we could just get breakthrough this once, then the next time we need it, surely we wouldn’t grumble and complain again. Or would we?

What if Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) don’t arise from our circumstances at all? What if our circumstances simply expose what was in us all along?

The most amazing thing to me is that even in the midst of our grumbling, God still gives us water from the rock. He meets our needs.

__________

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“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

The mandate is that we go and “make disciples”.

“Disciple” is a very Jewish concept. A rabbi would select a group of students who who follow him, sharing life with him over a period of time. The goal of discipleship was for the student to become like the teacher in every respect. Jesus, in commissioning us to make disciples, has given us the task of facilitating this process. I am to make disciples of Jesus. I am to facilitate a way of interacting with Jesus over time that results in followers being transformed into His image.

I’ve been exposed to two primary discipleship models during my years in church.

Model One: The Educational Model

This model seeks to fulfill the Great Commission by teaching doctrine from the Bible. The underlying assumption of this model is that our basic spiritual problem is ignorance. This can be corrected by proper instruction. If our problem is a lack of good knowledge, then more Knowledge of Good must be the solution.

Model Two: The Legal Model

This model seeks to fulfill the Great Commission by behavior modification. There are two forms of the Legal Model: Prohibitive and Prescriptive. One form emphasizes the behaviors a follower of Jesus should avoid. The second form emphasizes the behaviors a follower of Jesus should adopt. The underlying assumption of this model is that our basic spiritual problem is wrong behavior. This can be corrected by changing behavior through instruction and accountability.

Please understand – I’m not against any of the above. I prefer right doctrine to heresy. I prefer right behavior to wrong behavior. But teaching people the Bible and getting them to behave correctly, even if successful (and it’s usually not), will only serve to produce really good Pharisees. Do you remember them? They were the men in Jesus day who knew the most scripture, had the best doctrine, and who were the most diligent in avoiding bad behavior and doing good things. This is the category of people who, for the most part, resist Jesus.

Disciples are made through interacting with their rabbi over time. Any approach to discipleship that doesn’t teach people to interact with Jesus will fail to produce disciples of Jesus. We must teach people to experience His presence and hear His voice. Only revelation can produce transformation. Only beholding His glory can change us into His image.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17–18, ESV)

Want to make disciples? Teach people to hear God’s voice and experience His presence.

I’ve read this familiar verse all my life. Each time, I’ve understood the writer of Hebrews to be saying that faith is what pleases God. If I can’t please God without faith, then faith must be the thing that pleases Him. If I’m struggling with unbelief, He must not be pleased with me.

This week I saw this verse in a whole new light.

There are actually two parallel statements in this verse.

1. Without faith I can’t please God.
2. I will draw near to God if I believe He exists and that He is good.

These are both contingent statements, in that they both express an “if, then” reality. The first statement expresses this negatively: if not this, then not that. If I don’t have faith I can’t please God. The second statement is expressed positively, but the “then” is placed before the if. If we express both of the statements using the same form, positively with the “if” preceding the “then”, they look like this.

1. If I have faith, then I will please God.
2. If I believe God exists and is good, I will draw near to God.

Note that the “if” of both statements is essentially the same. Believing that God exists and that God is good is simply a more specific way to express the idea of faith. What is the result of this faith? What is the “then” that will follow once the conditional “if” is satisfied?”

Answer: I will please God. I will draw near to God.

This verse doesn’t teach us that faith pleases God. It teaches us that what pleases God is when I draw near to Him. Faith is simply the necessary condition. If I don’t have faith, if I don’t believe that God is good and responsive, if I don’t believe that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, then I won’t draw near. Me keeping my distance from God doesn’t please God. Drawing near to God is what pleases God.

Let’s draw near!

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I got to catch Lauren when she was born. My hands were the first to touch her. My eyes were the first to see her pointy head and screaming face. Her head isn’t pointy anymore. That lasted about three days. She doesn’t scream anymore, that lasted off and on for three years. I almost dropped her. It was an overwhelming, terrifying, invigorating, stunning experience. I remember drawing her to myself and praying a blessing over her before I handed her to her mom, who, after all, had done all the work. I passed on the generous opportunity presented by our midwife for me to cut the cord. No thank you.

Life. What is it? When Lauren was born I remember our midwife taking her and beginning to check her for various vitals necessary to indicate her health.

Her life.

 Is that what life is? Respiratory function, circulation, muscle response, temperature? Lauren is fifteen years old now and she certainly has all of the physical indicators that reassure us she is living. But there’s a vibrancy about her that goes beyond what a doctor could measure. She carries an energy of joy and purpose, a creative force, a weight of significance that is more truly descriptive of her life. The same is true in all three of my kids. As Lauren grows in her own connection with God through Christ, I see something even more difficult to describe forming in her, something eternal, something glorious. What is life?

Life in the Gospels

Life is a constant theme of scripture. In the New Testament we discover a savior who came to give his life.

“even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20:28, ESV)

Not only did Jesus come to lay his life down, he himself is life. Life is something he possesses. It is also something he is.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4, ESV)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live ” (John 11:25, ESV)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

Life is something we need to lose in order to find. This method of discovery seems to exclude lots of people who would prefer to do the finding without the losing.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39, ESV)

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. ” (Matthew 7:14, ESV)

But life is what Jesus came to bring us.

“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:14, ESV)

“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” (John 5:21, ESV)

“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ” (John 6:33–35, ESV)

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ” (John 6:63, ESV)

“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:68, ESV)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ” (John 10:10, ESV)

 “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent ” (John 17:3, ESV)

What is this life that Jesus came to bring us? It is certainly more than lung function, heartbeat, and brain activity. It goes beyond the capacity to feel, think, and desire. The life Jesus gives is an eternal kind of life, but even this is insufficient for this phrase might tell us Jesus came so our heartbeat, breathing, and brain function will continue forever. Jesus’ kind of life does more than merely continue into infinity. It nourishes. It satisfies. It’s relational and intimate, experiential. It is spiritual and divine. To think of eternal life simply in terms of infinite chronology fails to acknowledge the qualitative essence of Jesus’ kind of life by focusing exclusively on the one trait that is quantitative. Jesus is the Way to God. He is the Truth about God. He is the Life of God. Through Christ we can again be connected to God. This is life.

Life in the Beginning

Life appears as a multilayered, difficult to pin down, kind of thing right from the beginning. In a very real sense, all living animals, even bugs, have the breath of life.

“And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ” (Genesis 1:30, ESV)

But the creation of man is separated from the rest of the creation narrative.

“then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ” (Genesis 2:7, ESV)

We see the creation of Adam’s body when God formed him from the dirt. We see life enter his being through what I can only picture as a kind of holy CPR. But this breath of life, though exactly the same in verbiage as the breath of life in Gen 1:30, has a very different result. Man became a living creature. Other translations say “living being.” Still others say “living soul.” Man became a soul. He became a person, a self, one capable of connection to and relationship with God. Adam was alive. Of course this means his heart was beating, his lungs were breathing, and his brain was active. More than this, it means Adam was self-aware, a complex being with a capacity for learning, reason, feeling, and choice unique within all creation. But even more than this, it means Adam was connected to God. He wasn’t simply a soul. He was a living soul.

When we see the idea of life in the Old Testament through the lens of Christ in the New Testament, it becomes very clear that the kind of life that matters most is God’s kind of life, the kind of life man only experiences when he is connected to God relationally, experientially. It is a Father/Child relationship. It is an owner / steward partnership. It is man being fully alive because his source is God who is himself life.

What is Death?

“And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ” (Genesis 2:9, ESV)

“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” ” (Genesis 2:17, ESV)

Death is the absence of life. God, as a good parent will, made the boundary very clear as well as the consequence. If you eat the Knowledge of Good and Evil you will die. So Adam did eat of this strange fruit that was knowledge. And that very day Adam died. Understanding what Adam lost that day will help us more clearly understand what life really is. If death is the absence of life, then life can be defined as whatever Adam lost that day.

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ” (Genesis 3:7, ESV)

They ate the fruit and the first thing that happened was a new awareness, a foreign feeling, a consciousness of self that had never occurred to them before. If prior to that moment they had never been self-conscious in this way, what exactly had they been conscious of? In that moment they lost their God awareness, their connection, their focus upon the One who had up to this point filled all their awareness with his worth, beauty, and sufficiency.

“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ” (Genesis 3:9, ESV)

It is certain that this question does not indicate any confusion on God’s part regarding Adam’s location. Nevertheless something has changed, and this question helps us begin to see exactly what. “Where are you?” points to separation. Man has lost his connection to God. This separation is further demonstrated in verse 23.

“therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ” (Genesis 3:23, ESV)

No longer will God be man’s source. Going forward, man will be his own source. His own ingenuity and labor will be his sustenance.  What is death? It is disconnection from God, self-consciousness, and self-reliance. If this is death, then what is life? Life is connection to God, being supremely aware of God, and relying fully upon God.

Meditation is Scriptural

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ” (Joshua 1:8, ESV)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. ” (Psalm 19:14, ESV)

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. ” (Psalm 48:9, ESV)

“My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. ” (Psalm 49:3, ESV)

“when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; ” (Psalm 63:6, ESV)

“I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: ” (Psalm 77:6, ESV)

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. ” (Psalm 77:12, ESV)

“May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. ” (Psalm 104:34, ESV)

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. ” (Psalm 119:15, ESV)

“I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. ” (Psalm 119:99, ESV)

“My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. ” (Psalm 119:148, ESV)

What is Meditation?
The Hebrew word translated “meditation” has two roots. The first root means to mutter or speak in a low voice. The second means to consider something inwardly or to be occupied with an idea. Meditation therefore involves the focus of my thoughts and words upon a particular idea. In scripture we see that the object of our meditation is either scripture (the Law, his precepts, etc.), the deeds or works of God (his testimonies, his might acts in scripture, the works one has personally experienced in life, etc.), or the attributes of God’s nature and character (his goodness, love, etc.).

Everyone Knows How to Meditate
Anyone who has struggled with either fear or lust knows how to meditate, inwardly considering scenarios, ideas, and images in ways that powerfully affect and shape our inner world. Most, however, have not learned to intentionally harness this capacity in the manner in which it was designed.

How to Meditate
1. Memorize a phrase or verse from the Bible. Though you can choose an attribute of God or consider a story from your own life when God demonstrated his faithfulness and power, I find it is best to begin with a particular section of scripture. Start with something short. I find it best to consider a verse or phrase which speaks of who God is (his goodness, nearness or power for instance) or who I am in Christ.

2. Choose a time. The Bible speaks of meditating all day, morning and evening, day and night. There’s no bad time to meditate. If you’re a beginner, you shouldn’t start with the “all day” goal. I recommend setting aside 20 minutes toward the beginning of your day. It has been my experience that setting aside a particular time for focused meditation actually affects the occupation of your thoughts throughout the day.

3. Choose a place. Find a quiet place that’s free from distraction. If it’s aesthetically pleasant and peaceful for you, all the better. Calm is important and if your environment contributes to this it will be helpful. At the very least, locate a spot that doesn’t work against you.

4. Choose a posture. No – you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands in a particular position. You do, however, need to find a position you can maintain without movement for 20 minutes. Slouching, crossing one leg over the other, and things like that will require you to shift positions frequently because of their effect on your circulation. I find it helpful to sit in comfortable chair (not a recliner) with both feet flat on the floor in front of you. Sit up straight and rest your hands palm down on your legs. There is nothing special about sitting in this position other than the fact that it allows you to not be distracted by how you’re sitting at all.

5. Turn your inward focus upon God’s presence. Jesus promised he would never leave you. 2 Cor 3:16 tells us that when we turn to the Lord the veil is removed (revelation occurs). Simply choose to be aware that God is with you and choose to be aware of nothing else. You might find it helpful to breathe deeply. Meditation is an act of the mind and body.

6. Bring to mind the verse or phrase from scripture you desire to meditate on. Begin to repeatedly rehearse this phrase or verse in your mind. As you do so, maintain your awareness of God’s presence.

7. Once you feel you are inwardly quiet and fully occupied with both God’s presence and the truth of scripture, begin to speak that phrase or verse from scripture repeatedly. No need to do it loudly or dramatically. Remember, the root word means to mutter quietly. You are now meditating on scripture!

What is Keeping You from the Father? – Alan Smith | Teaching Audio

I love those moments when I’m reflecting on a beloved and familiar passage like this and suddenly a whole new way of seeing it emerges. I’ve always viewed this passage as a list of SIX things Jesus was anointed to do. The list looked like this.

Jesus is anointed to:
1. Preach the gospel to the poor
2. Heal the broken hearted
3. Proclaim liberty to the captives
4. Proclaim recovery of sight to the blind
5. Set at liberty those who are oppressed
6. Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

Because I’ve seen this passage organized in my head in this manner, I’ve seen “preach the gospel to the poor” as being a distinct item from the following five items. Because of this, I’ve simply read into the word “preach the gospel” my contemporary understanding and use of this phrase and thought of it in terms of evangelism – proclaiming the good news of the salvation provided through the death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. I don’t think this actually works here as an interpretation of that passage for the simple reason that he had not yet died, risen or ascended. If “preach the gospel to the poor” had referred to a proclamation of that particular good news, then in no way could Jesus have legitimately claimed, at that point, that this had been fulfilled.

Today it occured to me that the text actually lends itself to a different reading. Jesus is here speaking of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in his life. The Spirit has come upon Jesus for a specific reason – to preach the gospel to the poor. He then proceeds to unpack exactly what this means. The following statements give us specific insight into what the gospel is and who we should understand to be poor. “He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor” is a summary statement. “He has sent me to…” begins an explanation of exactly what this means.

Who are the poor Jesus has been anointed to preach good news to?
1. The broken hearted
2. The captives (those who are conquered)
3. The blind
4. The oppressed (those who are crushed)

What is the good news that Jesus is anointed to preach to the broken hearted, captives, blind and oppressed?
1. Healing
2. Deliverance / Liberation
3. Sight
4. Freedom / Healing

The passage then closes with another summary statement – “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” – a phrase that hints at the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10), where all things would be restored, a 50 year practice that pointed toward the coming Messiah.

Are we preaching good news to the poor?

I’m interested in helping people experience Freedom in 2010. If you are interested in pursuing more of the Freedom provided for you in Christ, here are Six Keys.

1) Understand what Freedom is and isn’t.
We must not equate freedom with relief from pain. The Bible defines freedom in terms experiencing God’s presence and the revelation of truth (John 8:32; 2 Cor 3:17). When I define freedom in terms of God’s presence and voice, then these are the things I will pursue and my journey toward freedom will be Christ centered instead of me centered. When I instead define freedom in terms of solving my problems, then my focus will be on self and my problems will shape my pursuit and thereby the outcome of my pursuit. Freedom isn’t when I stop doing ______. Freedom is when I’m able to relate to God without hindrance as the person he created and redeemed me to be.

2) Invest in a process.
Freedom is part of your inheritance in Christ. It is part of the promised land God desires you to possess and inhabit. But that which is fully yours in Christ must be conquered, possessed, and inhabited bit by bit. Think discipleship. Think journey. If freedom was simply about the expulsion of demons then a process might be less necessary. But I need to be set free from more than just demons. You can’t cast out the flesh.

3) Get help.
At Gateway Church we have developed a powerful process to help you experience freedom. Visit us at http://freedom.gatewaypeople.com to learn more.

4) Learn to meditate on scripture.
Information doesn’t produce transformation. Revelation does. When I meditate on scripture I am pursuing the kind of revelation that can transform me from the inside out. I believe there is a level of freedom that cannot be experienced any other way. No one can do this for me. For the truth within scripture to become the kind of revelation that produces faith and results in personal transformation, the spiritual practice of scriptural meditation is essential.

5) Learn and implement new relational skills.
All of us live within family systems and play a role in repeating relational cycles that may or may not be healthy. Personal transformation needs a context in which it can be lived out in practical ways. In addition to experiencing deliverance, and inner healing,  you may also need to learn how to take out the trash, how to listen, how to prefer others, and how to establish healthy boundaries.

6) Give away what you’ve got.
The nature of grace is that it must be given away. Freely you’ve received. Freely give. The reality is that free people free people. Those who are being transformed can help others experience transformation. Moving into the next level of freedom personally often involves giving away what I’ve already received to someone else.

So, if you’re interested in pursuing freedom in 2010, then I encourage you to make each of these Six Keys a part of your journey.

I wrote down of few of the best zingers. Here’s one.

“I can’t afford to be more conscious of any problem than I am of his presence.”

Wow. There’s more in there than I can digest in a single sitting. He’s really messing with my business too. How often do I pray from a place of being conscious of a problem rather than of His presence? Too often. When I am problem focused rather than Kingdom focused, I usually end up striving from a place of fear and unbelief. This usually produces fruitlessness in prayer, which then magnifies the unbelief. This process may produce louder and more fervent prayer, but rarely does it produce more effective prayer.

Faith comes from hearing God. Revelation results from turning toward Him, not toward a problem. I’m most effective in prayer when my focus is upon pursuing divine encounter rather than relief from a difficulty.

That’s the first prayer I remember learning as a small child. It’s short (as prayers before meals should be). It rhymes. It’s really quite a good little prayer.

The thing I like best about it is that it communicates something about God which is foundational. Packed up in this little pre-meal prayer for children are the concepts both of God’s transcendence and His immanence.

Transcendence – “God is great. God is good.”
Immanence – “Let us thank Him for our food.”

The term transcendence refers to the reality that God is distinct from and above all Creation.

Distinct from: The universe is not God. The earth is not God. The trees are not God. I’m not God you’re not God. God is “other” than us.

Above all: God is the origin and sustenance of all Creation. He is the owner of all Creation. He has all authority over all Creation. He is superior to all Creation. His superiority includes every category of existence. He is eternal; Creation is finite. He is morally perfect; Creation is good, but broken, fallen. The list could go on.

The term immanence refers to God’s nearness and involvement with Creation day by day, moment by moment. God is not far away and uninvolved, but rather unimaginably close and deeply involved in the tiniest details of life.

If I minimize God’s transcendence but hold to His immanence, I wind up being a pantheist. For if God IS near and involved in our lives but is not distinct from us and not over us, then God is everything and everything is God.

If I minimize God’s immanence but hold to His transcendence, I wind up being a deist. For if God is distinct from us and over us but is not near to us and involved in our lives, then God is far away and inaccessible; the cosmos is simply a complex watch and the watch maker has moved on to other things.

When we respond to God in worship we humbly surrender before the transcendent One. We bow before His greatness. There is a biblical principle in place as we do this. He inhabits our praise. We enter His gates with thanksgiving.

Get this! As we exalt His transcendence, we experience His immanence. What an amazing privilege.