True Worship - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

Jesus says to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when ye shall neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth.
John 4:21, 23

True Worship
When the woman of Samaria turned the discussion to worship, our Lord Jesus revealed some facts to which we need to pay careful attention. He told her that the Samaritan worship was based on ignorance, and that worship as it had been given took place among the Jews at Jerusalem (v. 22). But not even Jewish worship was true worship (v. 21). Furthermore, He made it clear that to persist in Jewish worship would soon be to oppose God, for "the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth." At such a point, neither ignorance nor emphasis on location would matter. All must give way to true worship.

What is true worship? True worship is not according to what is natural: robes, incense, buildings, etc. Such concentrates attention on the awe that is inspired by the power and knowledge of God as the Creator. Such worship appeals to the senses but glosses over His righteousness and His grace as revealed in the gift of His only begotten Son. This truth concerning His love and grace leads believers in the Lord Jesus into true worship, the worship of God as Father (vv. 23-24). It is based on that precious relationship which these believers have with the Father.

Moreover, for the believer in the Lord Jesus now to cling to Jewish worship, imitating their ceremonies, is to refuse the truth of God as their Father, as declared by the risen Lord Jesus (Jn. 20:17). It is to ignore the full light of the sun, choosing rather to use a lantern in the daytime. How much we need to heed the words of our Lord Jesus as He introduces to us what true worship is!

Hadley Hall