February 18 – Reading 49

FEBRUARY 18 – Reading 49

by John Christian Pra | February 18

“EVERY DAY WORSHIP”
(Leviticus 23:1 – 25:5)

“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly…Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.” – Leviticus 24:2-3

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. The anticipation of the season, the celebration of Jesus’ coming, the music, the lights, the special times of reflection. During times like these, it feels easier to sense the nearness of God. In fact, God created it to be this way. 

Here in Leviticus, God institutes feasts. Special seasons that would take place each year to bring to remembrance important moments in Israel’s history. These feasts were calls to pause, reflect, celebrate, and enter into the story of God and His people. In the same way, we have Christian holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost that help us enter the bigger picture we live in. 

Moments like these can be impactful, not only for the nostalgic feelings they may bring, but for the space they create to connect us with God himself. 

But what about those in-between times? Those cold, dark days of February? Or those rainy days in Spring?

How do we stay connected to God and the story he is writing when things feel mundane and life feels monotonous? When the feasts end and the daily grind begins.

Here in Leviticus, God instructs his people to worship on the feast days but also to worship on the “normal” days. By commanding the people to provide oil for the lamp that would remain burning day and night for generations, God was reminding them that we are never to take days off from worshiping Him. That the lamp (a symbol of God’s presence among his people) should always be burning.

Feast days make worship easy. But how about that middle-of-the-night worship when your child wakes up crying? Or that worship on your way home from a terrible day at work? Or that worship when you find out from the doctor that things aren’t looking so good?

God isn’t there only on feast days, He comes to us every day. The lamp is there during the feast and after the feast. When we dedicate ourselves to a life of worship, regardless of what is going on around us, God promises to draws near. 

What would it look like for you to create mini-feasts throughout your day? To constantly be putting oil in the lamp? How can you create these special moments you set apart to draw near to God and let Him draw near to you? Let worship become a lifestyle, not an occasion. 

Worship doesn’t stop even when the feast does. Keep the oil in the lamp. 

Think about it. Pray about it.

• How could you create mini “feast” moments of connecting to God throughout your day?
• What does living a life of daily worship look like for you?
• Ask Jesus to draw near to you as you draw near to Him. He promises He will. James 4:8.