I’ve sat at this computer screen for the past hour, trying to think of the perfect words to write for all back home… but yet I still have nothing. So I’m just going to roll with what’s been on my heart this past week.
True Worship.
A hard thing to adjust to since leaving the states has been not having my typical Sunday morning church service. At home I, like many, had the routine of going to church Sunday morning to get my “fuel” for the week. I would go to church on Sunday, read my bible every now and then throughout the week, go to a Wednesday night deal, and pray every now and then. That was the cycle. Every week.
This past week God has been opening my eyes to what true worship really is. I feel like for everyone, the idea and image of true worship is different.
At home, production did it for me. The lights, the band, the videos… that is what led me into my “true” worship mode. Here in Kenya, there is none of that. On Sunday we go to a church, which consists of 15-20 people. We sing loads of praise songs with one speaker and microphone.. One of us on “Team Wrecked with Love” gives the message… and we hang out and fellowship with the congregation.
For the past few Sundays, I’ve struggled with this. It was hard for me to get into the worship mode, because I didn’t understand the words that were being sung. I didn’t understand what the pastor was saying. The only thing I got was the message spoken by a teammate. Its been frustrating at times, and hard to adjust to… but this past Sunday God totally broke me of that selfish mode that I have been in since I arrived here.
I was standing in the back, just watching. Watching the congregation truly worship. They didn’t have the big screens, band, or any promo videos to draw you in. They were simply there, whole-heartedly, worshiping their creator. In my time of sitting back and watching God simply whispered in my ear, “Melissa, where are you, what is wrong with you, I’m ready to meet with you.”
Since then, God has been sending me simple reminders all week of what true worship really is.
I’ve seen it through:
- Home visits, when we would be sitting in a room and a family would just start singing.. Next thing you know hands are up in the air, and ladies were face down simply worshiping with their creator.
- Five people who have accepted God as their Lord and Savior without an altar call.
- Families with children in the hospital infected with malaria… nearly dying. Instead living life depending on the circumstance they are in, they are thanking God for where they are at and praying that He will bring them out of it.
Seeing all this has set me back a bit… it’s made me stop and think about what true worship is to me… I feel like, me personally, for so long I have been worshiping to satisfy myself…. Instead of satisfying the One it was created for. I would go to church on Sunday mornings to get my “fuel” for the week, instead of taking that time to truly be with my Maker. I’ve realized that we’re not always going to have the awesome band, or promo videos, or lights… and worship is not about the production… To me it’s about what we bring to God, how we connect with Him, no matter where we are, what we have, or what we’re doing. It’s our simple connection with God, giving Him our best with what we have.. and being thankful and grateful for all He has provided for us.
Worship this month has been a challenge.. an amazing challenge that has brought me to realize, in my mind, what true worship it.
So what is true worship for you?
Is it the “fuel” you need on Sunday morning to satisfy YOU for the rest of the week?
How often do we get caught up in the band, production, lights, etc…. instead of focusing on the one we are worshiping?
If none of that existed, would your worship still be the same?
“Life lived just to satisfy yourself never satisfies anybody.”
