Finally.
After a dry spell, yesterday, I finally felt some worship-full feelings.
I do know that feeling isn’t the end-all — and probably not even a very good measure at all — of worship. But it gets lonely in a relationship when one doesn’t communicate much, or deeply; and in the relationship with God, adoring communication is certainly not unimportant.
We sang a few songs with a home group around noon, and those songs included some worship songs. “Above All” is more of a meditation, I think, but certainly, worship can arise in the heart. “Sanctuary” is a prayer of devotion. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is worshipful, too. But neither these nor a few others moved me, for some reason. Maybe too much focus on the music.
Then last night, after more than one kind of dry spell with the group that meets in our home, and after some thought about Jesus as the Final Word of the Father . . . after a representative admission of inadequacy on my part to deal at much length with messianic prophecies, and after a lot of popcorn conversation . . . we worshipped.
We read the first portion of Isaiah 9, and we addressed Jesus as Prince of Peace, asking for the peace He brings. We sang of the value of silence in “finding God.” We tried a new song (to me) – “Gloria, Emmanuel” — and I began to feel my spirit quickened. “For the earth has seen a holy light. Gloria, Emmanuel. So we worship You, our Lord and Christ.” Then we begged for the Word of God to speak and for Him to allow us to stay in His holiness. “All that I need is to be with You and in the quiet hear Your voice.” I can’t honestly say I remember singing that line. Maybe I didn’t. And maybe it sunk in, anyway.
Sometimes it takes time to nurture the spirit into worship. Sometimes it takes variety. Sometimes, both. From hymn-style prayers and meditative worship music to more modern worship music, I reached a climax last night in the final song we sang–”We All Bow Down.” Hear this lyric, and maybe you will worship now, too:
Summer and winter, the mountains and the rivers
Whisper the Savior’s name.
Awesome and holy, the Friend to the lonely,
Forever His love will reign.
And we all bow down.
Kings will surrender their crowns
And worship Jesus
For He is the love
Unfailing love
He is the love of God.
