Asking questions to better understand something is much better than assuming you know the answer. Sooooo.....Have you ever asked any of these questions on a Sunday morning in a worship service (now be honest)?
- "Why do I need to lift my hands, sing out loud, clap my hands, or dance to worship God? Doesn't He know my heart? God knows I am shy, and I don't need to make myself a spectacle, right?"
- "What if I don't feel like singing or lifting my hands, and I do it anyway, am I being a fake"?
If you have asked yourself these questions, and or something somewhat similar, I have some news for you....brace yourself.....your gonna be shocked.....wait for it.....yep, your human. I think most people, if not all people who follow Christ and worship in a corporate setting like a Sunday Morning Service have felt this at one time or another. The problem is many times we don't have the right view of who God is, and therefore we think that all of what Christians do in corporate worship is about them and their actions, or that somehow God is judging our worship like some kind of Ice Skating competition (can you here God saying, "that looked like a 5.4 from here"....of course not!). The secret is that a view of God in that context is not even close to being correct, its not about you. God is present in our worship, and He is our focus, and we should worship in response to Him and only for His enjoyment and pleasure of seeing His people worship Him. Our worship is really just a response to our seeing God for who He is, what God is doing, or has done in your life. Our worship is truly a "sacrifice of praise". That is a key truth that many times we don't grasp, that in our worship we are bringing a "sacrifice" to God. Not like the Old Testament believers who needed to slaughter an animal to shed the blood of a sacrifice for their sin, but a sacrifice of the heart to show our love for our King, for our God. Worship at its core, is that revelation of who God is, what He has done, how He loves us, and our response to that revelation.
So that leads me to answer the questions above.
Praise can only be shown, it can't be held inside. Can you praise a child for being obedient or completing a task you asked them to do without physically either reaching out to them, or by verbally encouraging or stating your pleasure for what they did? Of course not. Praise is HEARD....it is SPOKEN....it is even SHOUTED (a touchdown at a football game anyone?).
Worship is a sacrifice of a different kind. It is that connection to God with intimacy and adoration that only comes from knowing His love for you, and returning that love He first poured on us back to Him. But sometimes like in any relationship we forget or we take for granted that love and intimacy God wants with you, and we don't step outside ourselves and express it to Him. Worship is expressed through love and intimacy, it should be personal, and should cost you something. That might just be the relinquishing of your pride and kneeling before Him in honor, it might be raising your hands in submission, it might be dancing before him because of the joy you feel. But many times it can be as simple as just putting everything in your life aside, and regardless of how you feel that day putting all our focus, attention, and energy into expressing to Him just how much you love Him.
Finally, there is a myth out there that says that you should go by your feelings....that if you don't feel like worshiping, lifting your hands, or praising God, that you should hang back and get focused before entering in to worship so not be a fake or a hypocrite. That is a the biggest deception of all when it comes to worship. Worship isn't, and should never be purely about what you feel...it is simply us responding to God and what He has already done. We should never be guided by what we feel, but guided by what we know about God, that He is in your midst and regardless of circumstances, worthy to be praised. Feelings change, God's nature, His love, His character do not. The Word of God tells us to "enter into His gates with praise", to "worship and bow down", to "sing for joy". It doesn't say to come to Him when your life is going well, or when things are tough, or when you feel up to the challenge....it says to simply COME!
I want to encourage you to boldly come and worship God, and He will reveal himself, He will give you a deeper understanding of His love, and it will fuel your devotion and your desire to see His name lifted up in your life. It is innevitable that feelings will enter in to your worship, because God has created us with emotions, but our worship is driven by "Spirit and Truth", neither of which is a feeling (the next blog will deal with this concept of worshiping in "Spirit and Truth). You don't need to TRY HARDER, or be more Holy, you need to let go and respond to who He is, and what He has already done for you. There is no greater thing to be a part of than to be in a big room full of people worshiping a God who has done so much for you. Oh How He Loves Us!
For His glory!
Ken
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