A Thought on Worship

The other night, our school went to help out at this ministry called Cloud and Fire. It's really an awesome place- they just started up a charter school for at-risk youth so that they can get vocational training if they've dropped out of school or been in jail or whatever. I encourage you to check it out: http://www.cloudandfire.org/

Anyway, they had a house-church service the night we were there, and, as church usually goes, it started out with worship. However, as the music started playing and we started to sing, I realized- much to my horror- that I was doing just that. Singing. I knew the words. I knew the melody. I even thought I meant what I was singing. But... I wasn't worshiping. I was singing. I was going through to motions of church, preforming. I realized, as all of this was going on in my head, that during 'worship', we have no obligations EXCEPT to WORSHIP. We don't have to make sure the people around us are comfortable. We don't have to make sure we're not singing so loud that it distracts those around us. We don't even have to make sure we sing the right notes! Our obligation during worship is to have a time that is intimate between us and God. My only obligation is to recognize God for who He is, to thank Him, to relate to Him. (Now, I don't feel quite the same way about being a worshiper in the crowd and being a worshiper on stage, but that is a different post entirely) Worship is not about us. Worship is about God and only God. It is entirely self-less and entirely God-focused. It is pretty much the only time that God gets ALL OF OUR ATTENTION AND AFFECTION. So why would we rob our relationship with God of that time? Seriously, most of us don't spend enough time being totally focused on reveling in God's character. I know I don't. But worship, for me, is like the one place where I can release everything about myself and turn my face solely to my Jesus. Worship is a lifestyle- is isn't just singing songs... But that's also another blog post entirely. Basically, my revelation was that my obligation is to worship God no matter what others around me are doing. Whether they're sitting or standing, singing or silent, raising their hands or clapping them, staring at me or focused on God... worship is about drowning out everything else because you are so intently focused on glorifying God.

So... I've made a resolution. I'm going to worship God however I feel like I'm led to, no matter what that looks like to people around me. It sounds silly, maybe, but I'm realizing that sometimes, my concern with the opinions of those around me inhibits me from obeying God fully. (I thought I didn't care what anyone thought of me, but apparently, I do!) So, in a broader sense, my resolution is actually to be concerned with only God's opinion of me and no one else's.

I pray that God begins revealing things in your life that prevent you from really following God. No matter how old you are or how long you've been in a relationship with God, there are always places in your life that need growth. If you feel like you've come to a place of plateau, something is probably wrong(: That said, I intend to continue to grow and learn until I'm wearing my crown in Heaven, and if anyone thinks I've ceased to do so, please let me know.

Much love,
Ash