As you come to him… 1 Peter 2:4 (NIV)
Peter uses the present tense. He is talking about something that God is doing now in the community of Christian believers. His focus so far has been on what God is doing in each of us individually, but now Peter is going to talk about what God is doing collectively among us.
The word Peter uses for come is a word that literally means “to prostrate yourself.” It is a word that was regularly used to describe drawing near to God in worship. Peter is talking about what God does through a community of believers who worship together.
This is a marvelous definition of worship: “As you come to him.” It is about you. And it is about him. Peter is writing to folks who have experienced the new birth. He is talking to those who are pursuing the new life.
The you here is plural. This is not an individual Christian praying at home. This is a community of believers worshipping together. Peter wants us to know what God does when we come to him in worship.
Who is the him Peter is referring to? Obviously, he is speaking about God. Worship is approaching God. But more specifically, we are talking about the Lord Jesus Christ: “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him” (2:4).
Peter wants us to know that something special happens when we come to Christ in worship.
What has been your experience of coming to Jesus Christ in worship?