My Not So Quiet Time
One of the things about church that kept me coming before I finally let Jesus enter my heart was the worship music. For months I wasn’t even sure if I really believed in God, but something about that loud music they played at my church kept me coming anyway. I had never heard names like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christie Nockels, Jesus Culture, or Hillsong United, but something about their songs kept me coming on Sunday mornings. I would go home after church and type a line that caught me ear from one of the songs into Google and listen again and again to those songs on YouTube. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the Holy Spirit was ministering to my heart through music. It was even during worship one Sunday morning that the Holy Spirit was finally able to enter into my heart and completely change my life. Music was the thing that got me hooked on Jesus and it is still in listening to worship music that I feel closest with Him.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I still listen to secular music. I love country and folk and rock and hip hop. I’m not one of those people who is going to tell you that secular music is evil and all you should listen to is Christian music. After all music is something that universally connects us. How could I possibly relate to a nonbeliever if I had absolutely no idea what kind of music was popular these days? The answer is that I probably couldn’t. Before I believed, if I had been hanging out with somebody who was trying to show me Jesus’ radical unconditional love and when the conversation came around to music (which most conversations people in my generation have eventually do), he or she said that they only allowed themselves to listen to Christian music and nothing secular, I would have walked away thinking that Christianity was judgmental and unrealistic. I try to look at the way I saw Christians before I started following Jesus when I am trying to relate to people who haven’t become believers yet.
That being said; I do listen to more worship music than secular music these days. If nothing else, I had no idea before a year ago that Christian music could kick so much ass. Last spring I started listening to worship music when I woke up every morning without even knowing that Jesus was using that time to change my heart and speak to me. First thing in the morning I would put on my awesome Bose headphones (because I live in a condo with my parents which is surrounded by people ranging in ages from their 60s to their 90s) and cranked up the volume on my iPad as loud as it would go. I would lay or sit on the couch and just do nothing but hear the music and think. I had no idea at the time that I was effectively meditating. At River City Church we call that soaking prayer. Before I ever even accepted Jesus into my life I started a practice that I still use daily to recharge my spiritual battery.
My favorite part of church every Sunday is worship. I experience the love of the Father during worship in ways that I can’t even describe in words. I know I’m not the only one. After worship most Sundays we have a time of testimonies. During this time it never fails that someone stands up and tells of how God has ministered to their lives or given them a word or a picture for the church just minutes before during worship time. Worship is the most important thing we can ever do. It is what we will be doing for eternity in heaven. It is what God built us for.
During the week I put worship first every morning. I brew a pot of coffee, put on those Bose headphones, crank up the volume and drown out the rest of the world til there is nothing but me and God for an hour or two. I call this time “having coffee with Jesus”. It is the time in my day when He speaks to me about things going on in my life, He puts people on my heart that He wants me to minister to, and He gives me prophetic pictures or words for people in my life. Sometimes I read out of my bible, sometimes I journal, sometimes I pray and sometimes I just sit and enjoy my coffee time with my savior. The one thing that I always do is listen to worship music at high volumes. Most Christians like to start their day with quiet time, but for me, I experience God in my not so quiet time. As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Love Y’all!!!
