I have been reflecting on the connection between worship and real life and I was thinking about two passages in particular. In both of these passages of scripture there is a real event that God works through that results in people singing God’s praises.
The first is in Exodus 15, the Song of the Sea. In Exodus 14 we see God part the Red Sea, the Hebrews walk through, and Pharaoh’s army get crushed by the waters. The result was thanksgiving and song. God delivered them. God worked on their behalf and rescued them. The result was praise specific to that situation. Did they come up with that song on the spot? Did it sound good? Who cares how well it rhymed or if it had a good melody! They were rescued and were expressing their joy to God!
The second is in Luke 1. An angel comes to Mary and tells her she will give birth to the messiah. The result is the Song of Mary. So much joy was flowing through her that it resulted in song.
I am afraid that too often my worship is due to the hour of the week it is and not because of extreme gratitude. I am afraid that too often I sing Thank You Lord because it is in an order of worship and not because it is part of the flow of thankfulness that is coming out of my heart to God because of how God has worked on my behalf. Worship really is connected with real life. Too often we compartmentalize it and make it too small. What is more, our worship services are usually very uplifting and joyful (and I am thankful for that) but it leaves little room for those whose most honest emotion at that time is sorrow or pain. Maybe we need more creativity, more relevance, more spontaneity from time to time so that our worship can express what is truly in our hearts and not be limited to an hour each week!
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Excellent! Often we sit in the pew and hear the preacher talk about that time when we will be reunited with our loved ones in Heaven. What a glorious reunion! There are of course folks sitting in those pews who have no realistic expectation of such a reunion. How cruel to those brother and sisters.
Thanks for stopping in Dave.
You are addressing an issue that has plagued God’s people all the way back to Isaiah’s day. We view worship as something that has been mandated, with rules and regulations attached. Consequently it becomes a very cerebral and scripted thing and the spontaneity evaporates. Moving beyond the “what God has done for me” scenario, which certainly is a valid impetus for worship, the much bigger issue is: He is worthy to receive our praise whether we recognize His fingerprints in our life or not. The reality of His character and His enormity should be the basis of a constant and spontaneous flow of praise and worship. The idea that has been at the core of my meditation lately is the sense of mystery, wonder, and awe that we experience when in the presence of something so much bigger and more powerful than we. Many of us have inherited a very anemic concept of worship, confined to certain places and times. I am not diminishing the need for God’s people to assemble together, but much of what happens in our assemblies garner more praise and worship of the preacher or song leader than they do real awe and wonder of God’s eternal power and divine attributes. Preach on bro.
I am sorry , I tend to be so amused by the Church who seem to find the obvious so amazing. I came to know God directly beyond set services and days of worship since I wasca child . Talking Jesus and the Father Is just so important to me because they help me and supply my every need. There is nothing to small or too big that I do not include them in the journey . The key is being in love and then passing that same passion on to the Father and his son. That first crush you had in high school where you wanted to know everything about that other perfect person that captured your full attention till it hurt. No one has a crush on someone who is not believed to be perfect in every way do they? God is perfect so just transfer that need to know some one most perfect to The Father and share every intimate moment with him.