Today we went to church, and the worship time was everything I could have wanted! There aren’t any words to describe African worship. I thought I had rhythm, but today I wanted to peel off my white skin and dance before the Lord without having to think if my clapping was on beat or not! I got there eventually! I could have stood there for hours on end listening to the way they worshipped. Acappella and so powerful. I just kept thinking…Jesus is African! A funny thought, but it’s true. He can dance and sing like that, because He made all people out of His likeness. He is such a versatile God. I enjoyed His creativity today through His children. And the fact that they were praising Him wholeheartedly in the midst of circumstances that would cause some of us to stay in bed all day and give up hope was beautiful and a huge reality check for all of us.
To top it all off, the speaker today was Korean, and he didn’t know English! The message was actually translated twice, from Korean to English, then from English into another African language! It was interesting to say the least! I loved seeing so many different kinds of people praising God…I was reminded of this really awesome worship song by the Newsboys, called “He Reigns”. We sang it at training, and I think it’s perfect. The first verse says:
“It’s the song of the redeemed rising from the African plain. It’s the song of the forgiven drowning out the Amazon rain. The song of Asian believers, filled with God’s holy fire. It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation, A love song born of a grateful choir.
It’s all God’s children singing ‘Glory Glory, Halleluiah, He Reigns’!”
Something deep inside of me is stirred when I get to see and hear new kinds of worship. But at the same time, it aches to think that so many living so close to us even right here in South Africa don’t know Him yet. They haven’t been set free from their chains to be able to lift their hands up to Him in radical gratitude. But it’s changing…more are being added daily. Let us draw all men to You through our lives, Father.
