Daring Worship: Reclaim Peace With Jesus

It was after midnight when I arrived at church, unlocked the doors, and locked myself in. I didn’t have peace, and I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the place I needed to be the most. I went to seek Jesus because I needed Him and His presence more than anything else. I needed to worship, surrender, and pour everything out before Him. My cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. For the next two hours, I lay on the carpet of the church sanctuary, endlessly crying under the weight of the season I was in. I prayed, worshipped, and cried until I had nothing left. Worship isn’t always packaged neatly and adorned with a pretty bow. It’s messy, raw, and sometimes ugly, but it’s necessary.

In Luke 7, we see the story of a sinful woman who anoints Jesus with expensive perfume. The mere fact that she was there in the first place was scandalous enough. She didn’t have to do anything other than be present to make Simon the Pharisee squirm. When he saw her weeping and washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and her hair, he was shocked, and when she opened the alabaster jar full of perfume and anointed Jesus, he couldn’t hold back his judgment any longer. “If Jesus is who he says he is, he would know she is an immoral woman,” Simon pridefully thought. (see Luke 7:36-39)

The truth is, Jesus did know her. He knew all about her past, her present, and her future. She came to willingly pour out everything before Him as an act of worship and love, and she was not worried about the other people in the room. It was as if she and Jesus were the only ones there, and it was powerful.

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:40-43)

Jesus continued, “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:47-48)

Jesus doesn’t need us to clean ourselves up and make ourselves more presentable before we come to Him. He doesn’t want us to be concerned with how we look to others when we come to Him, either. He wants us to come just as we are, no hesitations, no distractions, and lay it all out before Him. He knows everything about us—past, present, and future. He loves us no more and no less than He does at this moment right now. 

Do you need peace in this season? When was the last time you brought everything before Him, withholding nothing? Jesus invites you to come to Him.

As I lay on the carpet of the sanctuary with tissues strewn about me, I sighed and felt His peace begin to wash over me. I was desperate to pour it all out before the One who knew me fully and loved me more than anyone else possibly could. He took every burden away from me. I sat up, wiped away my tears, and was overwhelmed with gratitude for all He had done. Another sigh of relief escaped me, and now, I had peace.

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.