Worship without Retreat

Worship is a such a privelige! Yesterday we had the privilege of experiencing three corporate worship services. The first was with our own body. Worst of Sinners lead worship as usual in the first service at our local church. This is usually a sweet and intimate time, humbling ourselves before the throne of God. What wonderful communion in anticipation of heaven!

The second opportunity was with a completely unknown body of believers. A sister church at a point of transition and change in their ministry. This was an opportunity for us to encourage and support our brothers and sisters. We did not know what to expect. Would they welcome us, a bunch of strangers, leading them in worship? Graciously they did. We were blessed and they were blessed. God was, as always, the hero.

The third was back at our home church sitting among our close friends worshiping together in prayer and the study of God's Word. Always rich and good.

All three were different, and yet, at all we were worshiping the very same God. Our goal is always to worship in Spirit and in Truth. That it would be an acceptable offering to God. A sweet smelling aroma.

Then there is the daily, moment by moment, private worship. The worship in prayer and life lived. The daily living out of our life, IS worship. This worship, I think, flushes out what you truly believe about God. It shows how saturated your heart and mind is with the Word of God. It is this moment-by-moment, living worship that shows where the blank spots are in the canvas of your life. The places and attitudes and areas where we are not surrendered to The Master Painter. The places where we are unyeilding to His brush. Closed to His color. Sadly, there are many more of these blank spots in my life than I would like to admit.

Today I feel a little like Elijah after defeating the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. In the aftermath of this truly amazing taste of God's awesome power, Elijah was chased away by Jezebel and her empty threat. He had witnessed God's mighty hand. He had been confirmed in his ministry by the Sovereign Lord of all creation. He stood against many devoted and powerful men, only to run in fear, from a woman!

Why is it so hard to live out what I say I believe in the trenches of the daily battle? It is not That the enemy is too powerful, it is, I think, that I stop being alert. I let down my guard. I retreat for a little R&R, thinking I just experienced a victory and now I deserve a rest. Only to find, again and again, this is Satan's most opportune time for attack.

Oh, that I could worship consistently, without retreating! That would be victory. To overcome. To persevere. To finish the fight.

The Running Man

I’ll tell you a story about a guy and a girl. As any teenage love story goes, they thought, “This is it! This is real, This is forever.” Time went by, and the guy decided that she wasn’t the one for him. She was devastated. He went on to greener pastures. The heartache for her was almost beyond bearing, but he could toss her a casual smile.

Years went by. It took years for her to trust, to let go, to love. But she did. It was right and good. She found her lifelong mate. She grew stronger and her love grew deeper. Together, they met each challenge.

He found someone, possibly his forever. But when hard times came, he would escape into work, a hidden fantasy or relationship. Comitment was more of a convenient option.

You ask yourself why. You may ask what if? There are many answers to these questions. What if they had stayed together? Would it have lasted? What if his heart had been broken, would he have been stronger? Put aside the argument that God has one person for you, a perfect mate, would it have stood the test of time? Probably not.

Many times, the development of character (in particular the character of commitment/love) comes only through pain. Many lessons in life are learned through heartache. Maturation thrives in the hot house of pain. When strongholds in our life crumble, and we are left standing empty-handed and broken-hearted, we suddenly realize we are free to reach up to God. Many times we are humiliated. And humility's perspective is very clear.

We are stripped of life’s comforts and (false) securities. And we realize that God has not left us. He has always been there. God cannot help but love us. Not because we are so good or lovely, but because God IS love. It is not just a word that describes Him. It is His essence. It is who He is. He defines love, and He cannot help but to love us because we are SO in need of His love.

It is through pain that our hold on the superficial and temporal is weakened, and our grasp on the real essence of forever is strengthened. We know this, yet, it is so hard for us to embrace the pain and suffering instead of running from it.

I think I will always run…hopefully, not as fast.