Made to Worship

I stole the title from Chris Tomlin's song. I haven't written in a while. I didn't know what to write about. And I haven't had much time to write. Busy-ness with work and other stuff has kept me from blogging lately. I've mostly been working on my book, so the thought of writing in addition to that seems undesirable. But last night was different.

I went to a worship night at the NW campus. There was no sermon, just worship time. It was a small crowd. I sensed that this was a room of people hungry for something. For some, it was acceptance. Others needed to release fears or unforgiveness. Many had burdens to lay down at the altar. I was there to worship. To spend time with God. To offer him my imperfect voice. Regardless of the reasons why people came, I felt a sense of unity. We all needed something.

I recalled reading about Gideon. He brought his offering and set it before the Lord. The angel of the Lord touched the offering with his staff, and fire consumed it. As we offered up songs of praise, I imagined God soaking up our worship in a brilliant fire. The words "God is a consuming fire" never seemed more real. I couldn't help but smile. God loves it when his children cry out to Him. Sometimes it's in desperate and painful situations. Other times it's when we're rejoicing or thankful. But He always wants to hear from us.

I heard a pastor say that God never listened to one of his sermons and said, "Wow! I never thought of that before." We can't present any new wisdom to Him. Our good deeds are like filthy rags. But worship is one of the few things we have to offer.

A few months ago, I picked up my guitar and started to play a worship song. Quietly, He whispered, "Are you just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal?" Ouch. I was more worried about the chords and the strum pattern than actually worshiping the Creator. He doesn't want lip service. He wants a relationship. We were made to be in fellowship with Him. We were created for His glory.

Worship is not just singing or playing music. It is an act of love or devotion, to give something worth. Often, I've had to ask myself this question: what does my life reflect? That I worship God or the things of this world? Our time on this earth is fleeting, and I want to live to make every second count.