It started in Eldoret with a conversation with Dez and has continued here in Uganda to the words of a pastor. It seems like no matter where I go or what I’m doing, God keeps talking to me about the same thing–worship. And it’s pretty great too because, well, frankly, I love worship. Or at least I thought I did. Over the past 2 weeks, God has really been putting a check in my spirit. He’s been asking me, “Where is your heart in this moment of worship? Who are you really focused on–me or yourself?” Because here’s the reality, worship is not about us. Not in the least bit. It’s not about us coming into a moment of reflection and being filled up. It’s abut us giving our all to give glory to God. Sure, there’s often times a byproduct of feeling filled or more intimate with God, but that is not the purpose of worship. The pursose is not for God to show up and seak into our lives; the purpose is for us to show up and speak into His!
It amazes me when guitars start strumming, worship leaders start singing, and all around me I see sullen or disinterested faces. It amazes me because, well, i just doesn’t make sense. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to pass judgments on anyone or claim I’m better than you. Trust me, I’ve been that sullen or disinterested face many times before. But even so, it makes just as little sense when it’s me as when it’s anyone else. It makes no sense because when I think of who God is an all He’s done, how can I not want to sing praises to Him? I mean, really, how could I want to do anything else?
You see, excuses like, “I’m sick of the same songs,” or “This isn’t how my church does it,” are really crap. Because, like I said before, worship is not about us. One thing the pastor in Lira said about this topic that I loved was, “You may not like it all, but God does. What matters is if it’s proper to God.” So if you’re sick of the songs, tough luck. Get your heart right and worship God anyway because you know what? God really likes that song. And if worship here isn’t how your church does it or how the Africans do it or whatever, tough luck. Get your heart right and worship God anyway and, in doing so, bring those elements you love about your church’s worship or the Africans’ worship to right where you are. Bringing Kingdom starts with our worship. We need to start taking serious the topic of worship and start making it an element of our daily lives. After all, in the words of that same pastor, “Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life.”
