We all get excited and pumped up to go concerts and music festivals. We are thrilled to scream and dance with our favorite bands to our favorite songs. It’s a time of joy, exhilaration, and show of support to those bands. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I love concerts, and especially music festivals. Standing in the blistering sun all day to dance with my favorite rock band is one of my favorite things to do. But what if we were this excited, this pumped up for worship? Worship isn’t something we do occasionally or once a year. It is something we get to do each and every week together, and any time alone. I’m not saying that we have to mosh in the front row or crowd surf through the youth section. But if we could get ourselves into a mindset so that we wake up totally excited to go to church and worship together, it would have such an effect on us all. It would be so cool to see what God would do in a congregation who comes to worship so excited that it’s as if they’ve been waiting for this all year. How cool would that be?
Now, this is easy for me, because i love music. I believe there are many ways to worship and bring praise and honor to God, but music is my favorite. And I probably speak for most who consider themselves a musician or even able to carry a tune. But I understand that for people who are not such big music fans how this could be a little more difficult. I could tell someone who thinks they’re a bad singer a million times that God doesn’t care what you sound like, and that isn’t necessarily going to change a thing. And if people aren’t even willing to sing the words, we definitely cannot expect them to dance or get pumped up about it. So what now?
Maybe if I told you that all you have to do is open your heart to God during this time, and focus on him, maybe they would be a little more open to the idea. You see, worship is not about the music, lights, words, or band. It’s an experience with God. Once you have that experience you don’t care who’s watching or listening, you just have to praise him. You don’t care if you miss a note, or get crazy and raise your hand. It suddenly isn’t about anyone around you, its solely about him. That’s what is so exciting if you give him the power to take control, he will.
You don’t have to be singing, and dancing, and whatever else to have a worship experience with God. You can of course, or you may simply close your eyes and lift your hands in surrender. You may just listen, and hear what he has for you. But it is heartbreaking to know that there are people on Sunday mornings who are either afraid to raise their hands and praise the way they want to, are too distracted, or just don't know how. It’s so sad because of what worship has the potential to be, but we all have to be all in. It takes everyone to see how God moves in a room where every single one of his people are completely surrendered to him.
It's life-changing.
I want to challenge you to have an open mindset of exhilaration towards worship on Sunday mornings, as if it is your favorite day of the whole year. Get yourself into the right mindset before you come if you have to. Pray about it, see what your Bible has to say about it, and come ready to give your all, learn, and experience fellowship in the place you call home.
In Revelation 7:9 The Bible explains that all of God's people together will be worshiping him, nations of people!
Although worshiping alone has a big impact, we are also meant to worship together. According to Don Whitney, "There’s an element of worship and Christianity that cannot be experienced in private worship or by watching worship. There are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the ‘meeting together’ with other believers."
In Hebrews chapter 12 God is referred to as a "Consuming Fire." Let's allow him to spread like wildfire among us as a congregation, and exalt in the joy of worshipping together, and knowing that it is pleasing to God.
