We have a whole genre of music devoted to getting people prepared and fired up for worship. Some of it is amazing, great music, and I love hearing it. My iPod is loaded down with it. But some of it is just insane, not worshipful at all (when you can't even tell the if the lyrics are referring to God...) and for some people it's almost become a prerequisite or a necessity for them to be physically and mentally able to connect with God. Every youth camp and conference you go to is structured that way, and even some churches have begun to default to it.
I think worship is more simple and all-encompassing than all that. It's not about music, or preaching, or any number of things you can do to worship, but you can worship doing any of those things or none of them at all.
Faith wasn't always so easy for me. As a kid trying to figure out salvation, I wanted to know in my head how it worked, and that's not something you can explain really. That was the hardest thing for me to overcome so I could get to the real heart knowledge of being saved, the actual trusting in something I had no way of ever understanding.
But worship now, it's so simple and easy. I've never been one for big loud bands or concerts, or having some preacher who does magic tricks on the side. No, I'm definitely more old-fashioned than that, for sure. I don't like to raise my hands or jump around or yell and holler. Worship to me is much more meaningful in my heart.
Worship to me is:
Hearing a song that's so beautiful you get goosebumps.
Driving down the road and all of a sudden seeing the most amazing sunset - we talked about this in Sunday school this week.
Praying while I'm all alone driving down the road (I got in that habit on the long drive back and forth to college), at night when I'm lying in bed and can't find sleep, while I'm ironing or folding clothes. I'm strange...I feel so much better praying with my head up and my eyes open. I think my brain works better that way, plus there's no chance of falling asleep while you're praying like that. It always feels like God and I are sitting next to each other talking, even if the other people driving down the road may think I'm a little crazy
I've never really felt comfortable praying during Invitation in the altar. I always feel like my rear end is on display for everybody, or that I need to hurry it up. It's hard not to be self-conscious when you're in front of 200 people.
Coming across a verse or a phrase in a book and all of a sudden it just hits you like 'Wow, that's exactly where I am today.'
Praying a Bible verse, or even a song lyric, because sometimes they say what I need to better than I ever could.
Growing up, singing 'Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow' with my family after we bless the food at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Practicing piano alone at church, just me playing and God listening.
Everybody has their own way to worship. When you find yours, you know, because that feeling is incomparable. Don't try to match somebody else's, or force it to happen. It's a mind-heart-soul attitude deal. It doesn't have to be perfect, Lord knows my worship falls short of where it needs much of the time. But still, there's no excuse for not having real worship at all.
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