Yesterday I sang a special with a really good friend of mine at our church's 75th anniversary. It was "His Eye is on the Sparrow" in the Sister Act style. We are both singers and have the gift of serving in worship in our church among other things and when it was over we received rave reviews from our fellow church family. I was humbled by their graciousness and blessings as they passed me by in the hallway.
One thing struck me though, so many people said they wished they could sing like us or even the phrase, "I would kill to sing like that". Now, I understand what these people meant, and I am in no way ungrateful for their compliment, but it had me thinking. When God looks down to hear a song being offered up to Him, what is more beautiful to Him? The young man or lady that has the most beautiful voice, or the young girl weeping in true heartfelt worship giving her all at God's throne in her most sincerest form? Whether you can sing or not, a heartfelt act of worship is what God looks at and loves, this goes way beyond the worship set list on Sunday morning.
You see there is more to worship than just music. Worship can be offered up to God in our daily lives, in our comings and goings, in our workplaces, book clubs, bible studies, girls night outs, family dinners, kids baseball games, date nights with our husbands, parties with friends, EVERYWHERE!
God wants us to put on display his most prized possession, YOU. When we operate in the Holy Spirit and conduct our daily activities in reverence to His awesome power, we open the door for healing and miracles among our circle of influence. We show in our character the character of God. If people look at us and don't like what they see, then they probably don't want anything to do with the God that we serve either. Make it a habit to exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our every day walk-love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Then when we are stopped in the hallways of work, school, kid's ball games, just like I was when I got stopped at church, and when they make the comment, "I wish I could be like you," or " I want what you have", they can have it! It is not unreachable, it is not beyond them. They can receive God's best for them by your display of worship to the one and only true king, because you live your faith everyday in every way. All you have to do is point them towards it!
We weren't meant to blend in with society, but to stand out! Not just to stand out, but stand firm! Stand firm on His promises... His Word. It is for everyone and this is one thing we can share with the world. People can take your material possessions, cancer can take your hair and your health, but no one can take away your faith and your personal relationship with God. NO ONE! Worship in our everyday lives is merely us acting out our faith and giving God the glory while we do it!
Look at Romans 12:1-2 in the Message Version:
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
Don't get me wrong worship is powerful and music and lyrics have a way to share what is in the heart better than any written word or book possibly can. Music can reach way down to the depths of your soul and pull out what you have been hiding. It can encourage you on a gloomy day, it can literally usher you into God's very presence, if you let it. It can push back the darkness in your life and has amazing power in the spiritual realm. Look in 2 Chronicles at the story of three armies advancing against Jehoshaphat and they sought the Lord for how to advance against these armies, because they were surrounded by every side! How many times in our life have we felt like that? God gave a word stating they would not have to fight this battle and to stand firm with no fear and God would deliver them.
The next morning when Jehoshaphat went to confront the armies he "appointed men to go sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of of his holiness as they went out ahead of the army..." (V. 21) As they began to sing praise, the armies turned on themselves and destroyed each other!! Worship is powerful! Don't neglect it for the sake of being tone deaf or whatever reason. It carries such a heavy weight when used for God's glory!
I implore you to find some worship music, sit back, close your eyes, and listen to not the singer, but the lyrics and begin to let the words become true in your heart, mind and life over your circumstance, or your problems! Push back the darkness starting today! I challenge you to make worship apart of your everyday!
Here is an example of a song that I love! It seems to melt away the bad and strengthen me. I hope it does the same for you!
Love, love, love it! Thank you, Michelle!
ReplyDelete