ABIGAIL
INTRODUCTION
(1 Samuel 25). 2 Peter 1:5-7).
.
LANGUAGES OF COMMUNION WITH GOD AND WITH OTHERS
-
Prayer: a symbol of dialogue, meaning it goes both ways. It first requires meditation and a listening spirit, without haste or distraction (Job 33:14-19).
-
Service: a relationship in which the other is helped to accomplish their task. In the history of salvation, God was the first to serve humanity by giving the life of His only Son (John 3:16). This is why Jesus could say that His food was to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). It can involve substitution or delegation, which is why Jesus asks us to be workers together with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9).
-
Praise: acclamations that precede a person's arrival. It is the outward manifestation of communion. Praise ends up summoning the presence of God into a situation, because it actually speaks of who God is. This praise has won many battles, such as the fall of the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6), among others. It proclaims the Name of the LORD loudly over a person's life and in the face of every situation.
-
Worship: a symbol of intimacy and self-surrender. It allows us to contemplate and admire the person of God through Christ, to the point of seeing His true nature and His glory. Many come to God because they have heard of Him, but they remain because they have discovered who He is — for example, the Samaritan woman (John 4).
Many of the difficulties a person faces in life are due to the fact that they have not yet discovered who God really is. A person must therefore spend more time contemplating God, using the languages He created to remain in communion with Him — because this is the only relationship that truly matters; everything else will pass away (John 4:23-24).
📎 A PDF handout was attached to this teaching on the old site: "Abigail.pdf." The original download link could not be recovered automatically — please re-upload the file from the dashboard.