I have a wonderment this week. I wonder if the only ones who truly try to meet with God are the fringe elements of our family. No, I am not talking about all of us who have meetings about God, but when it comes to meeting God on a Sunday morning (or any day of the week for that matter) is an experience of God’s presence only reserved for the fanatic? Could it be possible that in our desire to reflect the truth of God’s Word that we have lost sight of one of the key truths of God’s Word? That is, have we forgotten that the Bible declares that God is real, God really moves, and God really can be known by people? What are we expecting when we come to worship?
One word of caution before I go on – I am not talking about seeking a created experience. It should be clear that I am not interested in seeking a laser light show or always searching for the bigger, better, bolder, or more mystical experience of God. All that is stripped away, isn’t it, when we are sitting in front of our computer, television, or phone and watching a streaming picture of our pastor while we are wearing our pajamas! All of that is stripped away when our worship is simply hymn singing with a piano, guitar, or a digital recording. No, I am simply talking about that when we come to meet God that we do not settle for anything less than actually meeting with Him. Do we push through all the junk (our own personal struggles, the inadequacy of our leaders, the distractions of our circumstances, or concerns about some current crisis, etc.) until we have seen what we see so often the individuals in the Bible saw? They saw God. I read in Isaiah that he saw God. Moses saw God. Even those who didn’t see God felt Him and experienced Him.
Is that what we are doing when we come to worship? When did worship become just another meeting? Consider the words of the following song by the Sidewalk Prophets. I hope it says much more eloquently than I can what I wish to communicate:
If I saw You on the street
And You said come and follow me
But I had to give up everything
All I once held dear and all of my dreams
Would I love You enough to let go
Or would my love run dry
When You asked for my life
When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me
If You’re all You claim to be
Then I’m not losing anything
So I will crawl upon my knees
Just to know the joy of suffering
I will love You enough to let go
Lord, I give you my life
I give you my life
When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me
I want to be where You are
I’m running into Your arms
And I will never look back
So Jesus, here is my heart
When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
You can have me
When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?
Forgetting what the world has told me
Father of love, You can have me
My Father, my love
You can have me
Jesus is worth pushing through to really meet Him. He is worth that effort. I want to give Him that. If that makes me a fanatic or crazy, I am okay with that. I think that is what love would call me to do. What about you?
Something to think about,
Pastor John
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