Six Steps
By: Tim Grissom
And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, [David] sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal … So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. —2 Samuel 6:13, 15
Todd Henry wrote, “It’s possible to succeed your way into failure when you lose sight of the bigger picture” (emphasis added). Mr. Henry was making the point that in our work lives we can get so caught up in completing a project that we lose sight of the purpose behind our work. When we just move from one thing to the next, we eventually lose momentum, inspiration, and creativity. Life centers on getting things done.
For all the good results that our work may produce, Solomon said it was all “vanity” and “vexation” (Ecclesiastes 2). Not exactly the guy you want recruiting workers or rallying investors, but he does have a point: we can do good things—and do them well—and still miss the truly important things.
This can just as easily happen in our spiritual lives as well.
We can teach, sing, preach, lead, serve, greet, pray, attend, read the Scripture, set up chairs, care for babies, give, and do it sincerely. All good stuff. All necessary stuff. Yet without the presence of God, the awe-inspiring, worship-inducing presence of God it misses that “bigger picture.”
David and his chosen men learned this the hard way when, after a failed attempt, the death of one of their own, and a three-month delay, they finally retrieved the ark of God to return it to its rightful place in Jerusalem. In what would seem like an unusual act, if we didn’t know how badly things had gone the first time, they stopped just six steps into their 3-mile journey (as some have calculated it) and … worshiped.
An intentional pause to celebrate and acknowledge the presence of God. This wasn’t break time. Six steps hadn’t worn them down. This was Hallelujah! time.
God likes it when His people celebrate Him. And this is often when He empowers them, unites them, refreshes them, instructs them, reminds them of His glory.
We miss so much when we neglect worship.
We might still get things done, but how much better it would be if we were to stop—every six steps or so—and exalt our great God.
For all the good results that our work may produce, Solomon said it was all “vanity” and “vexation” (Ecclesiastes 2). Not exactly the guy you want recruiting workers or rallying investors, but he does have a point: we can do good things—and do them well—and still miss the truly important things.
This can just as easily happen in our spiritual lives as well.
We can teach, sing, preach, lead, serve, greet, pray, attend, read the Scripture, set up chairs, care for babies, give, and do it sincerely. All good stuff. All necessary stuff. Yet without the presence of God, the awe-inspiring, worship-inducing presence of God it misses that “bigger picture.”
David and his chosen men learned this the hard way when, after a failed attempt, the death of one of their own, and a three-month delay, they finally retrieved the ark of God to return it to its rightful place in Jerusalem. In what would seem like an unusual act, if we didn’t know how badly things had gone the first time, they stopped just six steps into their 3-mile journey (as some have calculated it) and … worshiped.
An intentional pause to celebrate and acknowledge the presence of God. This wasn’t break time. Six steps hadn’t worn them down. This was Hallelujah! time.
God likes it when His people celebrate Him. And this is often when He empowers them, unites them, refreshes them, instructs them, reminds them of His glory.
We miss so much when we neglect worship.
We might still get things done, but how much better it would be if we were to stop—every six steps or so—and exalt our great God.
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