Friday, August 17, 2007

My first blog-Worship: Expectancy and Choice

So here I am sitting at my computer combating on two fields of writer’s block.  Which do I turn to? On one side I’m contending with an article for our Highlights newsletter; on the other I’m attempting to write a blog post with potentially millions of readers… okay, maybe more like hundreds… or one… Hi, Mom.

 

No, for real though, I’m excited about having a way to share weekly about what God’s sharing with me, what He’s doing in my life, my ministries and my beautiful Highland Church… with a little silliness about tennis or perhaps a beautiful new pair of shoes thrown in for fun.  So let’s get started!

 

As I’ve been praying about worship at Highland Church and what we need to be striving for and doing as a church to become better worshippers, God’s been giving me two themes: choice and expectancy.  Don’t be surprised if for the next few weeks these themes are emphasized in what I write.  I feel like I’m beginning to see them everywhere!  This morning in my devotions I was reading Psalm 145 and honed in on verses 5-7.  

“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”

The thing that struck me about these particular verses this morning is that they grow.  First they speak.  I can picture this taking place in kind of hushed, “Did you hear about…” way.  David overhears and starts to think, I mean really ponder the wonderful things God has done.  It grows to telling, then proclaiming, then celebrating, then joyfully singing!  As these people started talking about God and really taking the time to think about His wonderful works, they began to realize how really great God is and the more they realized that the more they were caught up in it and it ended up being a wave of awesome realization.  Isn’t that what we want when we worship God?  Not some hyped up emotional experience, but something that comes from a genuine realization of how awesome He truly is!  Don’t get me wrong, emotions will accompany this realization and sometimes emotions illuminate this realization, but is it possible that true worship is sparked by a moment of realization?

 

Next time you’re in a worship service, not really feeling the worship, not really in the mood for church, take the time for realization.  Don’t just start singing the songs on auto-pilot, but don’t shut down because you don’t feel it that morning.  When you hear the song speak of God, start thinking, really thinking about that aspect of God, realizing what wonderful works He has done for you in the last day, the last week, the last month.  Let that moment of realization spark something in your heart, start telling God about what He’s done, then proclaim it to Him and then begin to celebrate who He is and how He’s shown you His goodness and then, after you’ve made the choice to worship God for who He is rather than what you feel that morning, you will be able to joyfully sing to the Lord!

 

We can have the expectancy that when we choose to worship God we will experience Him and know Him in a remarkable way.  Maybe you don’t believe me, but try it.  I dare you.

 

Until next time.  Have a lovely day!

 

Laura

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, I did read these comments. :) Great thoughts.
Mom

Nathan said...

Laura,
What a great blog. I love the idea of the growth in our worship. It starts small and incrementally increases in strength, passion an knowledge. How great! I am looking forward to what you will be posting in the future.
God bless you

Doreen said...

We have all come into a service with expectations for our own worship experience and then have become discouraged when it did not happen, so your advice is great. We can all benefit for trying it. I know I will!