Worship Before Work:
Why God Calls Us to Wait & Remain

What if the secret to building something lasting for God isn't found in our strength, strategies, or even our spiritual giftings? In Zechariah chapter 4, we discover a profound truth that challenges our impulse to rush into action: God calls us to worship before we work, to seek His face before we serve His purposes.

What Does It Mean to Put Worship Before Work?
When the Jewish exiles returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple, they did something remarkable. Before laying a single foundation stone, they rebuilt the altar and began offering sacrifices to God. Worship came first, then the work.

This wasn't just about religious ritual - it was about connection. They understood that intimacy with God must precede any work we do for Him, no matter how spiritual that work might seem. The question for us today is searching: Are we prioritising our devotion over our doing? Are we seeking God's face before we serve His purposes?

• Worship connects us to God's heart and purposes
• Intimacy with God provides the foundation for all meaningful service
• Rushing into ministry without seeking God's presence leads to burnout and emptiness

How Do We Build With God's Strength, Not Our Own?
In Zechariah's vision, he saw something unusual: a golden lampstand fed directly by two olive trees through golden pipes. No human maintenance required - just a continuous, supernatural supply of oil. The angel's explanation was profound: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord."

Zerubbabel had the monumental task of rebuilding the temple. He could have relied on collective resources (might) or individual strength (power), but God called him to depend on something greater - the continuous supply of the Holy Spirit.

• "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply"
• Human effort can accomplish much, but it cannot accomplish God's purposes
• The Holy Spirit provides both resources to begin and strength to finish

What Does It Look Like to Remain Connected?
Jesus picked up this imagery in John 15, calling Himself the vine and us the branches. The message is clear: "Apart from me, you can do nothing." This isn't about inactivity - it's about staying connected to our source of life and fruitfulness.

Remaining in Christ means:

• Maintaining continuous dependence on the Holy Spirit
• Choosing surrender over self-reliance
• Allowing God's ideas to emerge rather than rushing ahead with our own

Life Application: Putting This Into Practice This Week
This week, consider these practical steps to worship before you work:

• Start each day with worship - Even five minutes of praise and prayer before checking your phone or planning your day
• Ask God for His perspective - Before making decisions or tackling challenges, pause and ask: "Lord, how do You see this situation?"
• Choose intimacy over productivity - When you feel the pressure to rush into action, resist and spend time in God's presence first
• Reflect on your supply source - Are you drawing from God's strength or running on empty in your own power?

God is doing something new, but He calls us not to rush but to remain in Him. The olive trees remind us that His Spirit is our continual supply. Let's be people who wait, who remain, and who bear fruit to His glory through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Watch the preach which accompanies this blog below:

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