I am married, and have been for the last 5 1/2 years. At our ceremony, Ethan and I promised to love one another. Now, over the course of our marriage, I’ve had to learn how to love Ethan the way he needs to be loved. And Ethan is in the process of learning how to love me, as well. I have learned that I cannot dictate the way he loves me. But if he should ask for suggestions, I can give him some ideas as to what would really bless me.
A big part of romance is the aspect of surprise, and of spontaneous affection. If I had to ask Ethan to bring me flowers, the romantic aspect of actually receiving them would actually diminish. If however, Ethan took initiative to do something he knew I liked without me having to ask, that would be romantic.
God has told us, through His Word what he likes, dislikes, loves, and even hates. Through the Word we understand what pleases God; we discover what blesses His heart. Reading the Bible allows me to get to know God, and it tells me how I can love Him. I find that too much time apart from that Word leaves me catering to my own desires, and less aware of what God wants to do in the world around me. However, if I am diligent to learn about God, it shows me how to act when I am with God. - Which is all the time.
Anyway . . .
Romancing God, worshipping God, means I take initiative when it comes to living a life that He will be blessed by.
For example:
Nehemiah, rebuilding the walls, without God telling him to Nehemiah 1,2
David, killing Goliath in righteous anger because of his defiance of God - I Samuel 17 (Notice David did not have to pray to know how to respond to Goliath’s slander; his course of action was the most reasonable response given the time he had spent getting to know God.)
The Sons of Thunder, wanting to call fire down on a city because they refused the words Jesus spoke. How amazing that Jesus had deliberately called these men and intended to keep these men as his disciples. Although they’re motives were wrong, they were obviously disciples willing to take action - even if it was the wrong action at that moment. Luke 9:53-55
Jesus - The Bible says Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for us. Did God have to coax Jesus into becoming a human? Was there any hesitation when considering what should be done to bring redemption to humanity? We are not given a glimpse of the moment that determined how our salvation would come about. But we do read that Jesus was willing when the time came, even though he knew the price was high. Rev. 13:7-9
The romance of worship is that it is our gift to God. He has asked for our life. But we have the ability to decide what that looks like. Sometimes we know exactly what that looks like, because we recognize his voice, and our only obligation is to simply obey what we know to be true. However, there may be times when you don’t have a clear word or understanding about what what God wants of you. Take initiative and study up - romance is not a challenge when you know the person you are courting.
