Worship

“Alabaster Heart” by Kalley Heiligenthal

Scripture

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” -John 12:1-3 (ESV)

A Present-Day Testament to God’s Faithfulness

I am writing to you from Vancouver, Washington, where 14 of us were invited by a dear friend of East-West to come and share the gospel in her city. We have seen Jesus on the move, bringing salvation, miracles, and healings to people. He has been so glorious and wondrous.

On the first night of the trip, we gathered together to anoint one another’s feet in preparation to head into the field. We were laying all of our cares at the feet of Jesus as worship. It was a moment of beautiful surrender and worship.

Beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news (Isaiah 52:7)!

The Historical Context of Jesus’ Final Days

Jesus took a two-mile walk from Ephriam, a little desert sanctuary, where He retreated for some time with His guys. His public ministry was coming to a close; the drumbeat of Heaven was picking up rhythm. He was about to pass the baton to those who have walked with Him for only a few short years. History was about to shift, and a New Covenant was about to be established. The Sabbath day had arrived, and Jesus walked to Bethany, returning to the very place He raised Lazarus from the dead—one final moment of Sabbath rest with his dearest friends.

Jesus had gained notoriety—many sought Him for His wonder-working power. He raised the dead and healed the sick. You and I would have gone anywhere to find Him, too. I wonder if He was thinking as He looked at his friends around the table, “You, too, will do these miracles; you will emulate My life, My friends, because I’m about to live inside of you. In fact, you will do even greater things!”

We find Jesus feasting with His beloved friends and the women He will first commission after the cross to take the gospel forth (Matthew 28:1-10)! Time is getting more and more near to what He is about to endure, and I bet He was soaking up these moments before His life was about to be an alabaster jar broken open and poured out for us. This is a divine moment—at the table with Jesus, watching Mary pour it all out. Surrender. Worship. Friendship.

The Cost of True Worship

Jesus loved Mary way too much to not take the journey He was about to take for her and the whole world. That leaves me undone. She needed His love and embrace more than anything. And all Mary knew in that moment was to defy every cultural norm and let her hair down and wash those precious feet of her beloved Jesus—those feet that would carry His own cross to the top of Golgatha. But in that moment, everything she knew about Him dropped 18 inches, and she didn’t care about the cost; she wanted to pour everything out on Him in love and worship.

“It was very costly, but it had not cost a penny too much, now that it could be used upon Him. There was a pound of it, but there was none too much for Him. It was very sweet, but none too sweet for Him.” -Charles Spurgeon

“All my life, you can have it all.” All my wealth, all my reputation, all my worship, all my desires—every last thing that I hold dear—You can have it all, Jesus. Do you know that not too long ago, Kalley—the one who sings “Alabaster Heart”—and her husband lost their little girl, Olive? It was sudden and unexpected. We all experience things in life that are sudden and unexpected. We can’t possibly measure what worship looks like to Jesus in the midst of pain and sacrifice, suffering and grief. But God sees the anointing of His feet when we worship in spite of everything we have held so precious to us and have laid those very things before Him. Our worship in suffering and turmoil is the greatest gift we can give to Jesus.

The Beauty of Surrendered Worship

I want us to focus on those feet that would walk all the way through Jerusalem, the garden, the courts, and the road to the cross. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news … (Isaiah 52:7).” His feet had to be anointed with the costliest oil of spikenard by a woman, across cultural barriers, in the place of Sabbath rest, around a table of intimacy and friendship.

“It’s not about perfection but about my passionate pursuit. My offering that I pour over His feet. Not based on what others say but a true response to His love that causes the best and worst of us to come out, the embrace of our potential, the release of all our fears, the reason for why we were made. And it is this that is eternal; it is this worship that reverberates throughout history. Not for the glory of men or for fame or social media status. But for the one whom it was all meant for. I believe that if Mary had not been obedient to pour out her gift, she would have lived in regret of passing up a moment.” -Jenny Erlingsson, “Becoming His”

An Invitation to Deeper Worship

The Holy Spirit prompted the following in my heart for you:

You do not see all that I see because I am outside of time and space. But I can assure you, your surrender and your life laid down for Mine matters to Me. Your sacrifice of worship, in spite of persecution and mockery, matters to Me. I will be your Great Defender.

I see what you have poured out for my sake. I see the sacrifice when no one else sees. And it has been noted in the records for all of eternity.

Right now is an invitation from Me to ask Me to take you to an even deeper level of surrender and worship. Now is the time you can ask Me to take your very life, the life I love and destined and died for, and ask Me to place My glory in you at an even greater measure for all the world to see. My life was broken and poured out for you. Will you ask Me to take what has been broken in your life and turn it and pour it out as worship? It’s in this place you will find healing and wholeness. This is what I do and who I am. My whole life poured out for you, and your whole life poured out for Me. Will you ask Me to do this? No fear. That prayer is wrapped in a love invitation that will take you into places in My heart and life that the enemy cannot touch. Take Me up on this invitation, and watch what I will do. I love you, and I died to show you the depth of that reality.

Dear sisters, will you start today praying a prayer of surrender that you may have never uttered before. If you want to sit with your bare feet before the Lord and ask Him to anoint them, He will come and do just that. Sit with Him a little while longer and just love Him as you picture what this moment was like with Him and His beloved Mary of Bethany. The cross was just days away. But in this moment, perhaps you just need to worship and adore Him a little longer. Prepare His feet as He prepares yours for the road ahead.

If you need to linger a little longer, here’s another beautiful song to minister to Him and you: “Forever Amen” by Steffany Gretzinger

A Few Key Notes

• Join Arise for a 40-day devotional and fast beginning September 1! Purchase my new book “Revivalist Arise” on Amazon, and then sign up to join the devotional series. Please invite other women to join you!
• Join us on October 1 at the Hope Center to hear from speaker and author Christina McCraken. The cost to attend will go toward launching new Arise cities as the Lord brings them on. If you are interested in hosting a six-person table for $150, please contact Stacy Riddick at [email protected] or 214.514.3351.
• Join us October 22-23 in Midland, Texas, as we share the hope of the gospel for Harvest Day. Email me at [email protected] for more details.
• With so much news about COVID-19 circulating around us, I encourage you to watch this video of Dr. Alexandria Watkins as she reminds us to not be paralyzed by fear. You can reach out to Alex or learn more about her at www.livewellmedsolutions.com.
• Arise is looking for women to lead initiatives in 70 cities. If you would like to start an Arise chapter in your city, email me at [email protected].
• Do you want to be equipped in sharing the gospel? Email me at [email protected] for details on trainings.