For our first Mid-Week Worship entry, we will be guided by the call of Isaiah which gives us the pattern of worship noted in our introductory page.
Songs used in the Mid-Week Worship devotional are added each week to a Spotify playlist.
You can follow it here.
Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take a moment to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment. Take a few moments to breathe in and out, asking God to still your heart and mind.
SONG OF PREPARATION: Prepare Him Room (lyrics here)
Encounter With God
In this first movement, we simply seek to see God for who He is: the One worthy of worship.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”
—Isaiah 6:1-4 (NIV)
SONG OF ENCOUNTER: Holy Forever (lyrics here)
Confession
In this second movement, we simply see ourselves for who we are: people who need God.
“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’”
—Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)
Take a moment in silence to breathe in God’s invitation to bring your sin and struggles to Him.
Sit with the truth that this is not about shame or guilt, but about God’s desire for us to be whole.
As you are ready, be honest with Him in prayer about your need.
A Prayer of St. Ambrose (339-397 A.D.)
O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee,
a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake, Amen.
Assurance
In this third movement, we receive the good news of the gospel: we are forgiven.
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’
—Isaiah 6:6-7 (NIV)
One prayer practice that can be a powerful way of resting in the knowledge of God’s grace and forgiveness is called “Breath Prayer.” A breath prayer is a short, contemplative prayer — typically just a phrase or two — designed to be silently prayed in rhythm with a single breath in and out. Often using Scripture and rooted in ancient Christian practice, it can be returned to throughout the day as a way of centering the heart in God's presence.
Spend a few moments praying this adaptation of Colossians 1:14 as a breath prayer. Breathe in as you reflect on the first line, breathe out as you reflect on the second:
In You we have redemption
The forgiveness of sins
Commission
In this final movement, we are encouraged and equipped for the work God would have us do.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
He said, ‘Go and tell this people:
Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.
Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.’”
—Isaiah 6:8-10 (NIV)
The word given to Isaiah to share with God’s people is heartbreaking. How sad it would be to “be ever hearing, but never understanding,” yet that is the situation he is facing. Isaiah is given a profoundly difficult message to share, yet even here there is a word of hope, a reminder of God’s desire for healing.
Isaiah 6 gives us two ends of a listening spectrum: Isaiah hears God’s call and obeys, but the people to whom he is sent are not listening. Their hearts are hardened and their ears are dull. As we reflect on God’s word for today, will we hear the invitation to listen? Will we respond as Isaiah did?
David Crowder’s song “Come and Listen” is often used as a call to worship, inviting God’s people into His presence. But it can also serve as a word of commission, reflecting the message we, like Isaiah, are called to share with the world: “Let me tell you what He has done for me.” As you listen, offer yourself to God as an ambassador of His healing message.
SONG OF COMMISSION: Come and Listen (lyrics here)
Benediction
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
—Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)