This piece is by my teammate and leader of TEAM SHABACH, Michael Perez. I actually first saw this at a worship night at my church before I even knew who Michael was, and now we’re on the same team! Crazy small world, I know. Thought it was an appropriate start to this blog, hope you appreciated it as much as I did!
As I’m sure is true for many of my 
fellow World Racers, one thing that stood out as a HUGE highlight of training camp was the worship. We were hugely blessed for the first half of the week to be led by Jonathan David Helser, along with his wife and band mates. Honestly…check em out.
“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with
music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound
of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn-
“shout for
joy before the LORD, the King.”
-Ps 98:4-6
FIND YOUR VOICE
I am a quiet person. We are a quiet people. I have spent years perfecting my stance of quiet reverence, approaching my God through whispers and a bowed head. This reverence and stillness must be present (Ecclesiastes 5:2, Psalm 46:10), but there is a time to rejoice, to dance and shout unto the Lord! This week offered that, and Jonathan and his band served as an incredible reminder of the God that is worthy of our praise, breaking down the walls of comfort and hesitance as we begin to release the voice crying out within all of us.
I will not be silentI was born to worship
I will not be quiet
the voice of fear
you can not hold me back no more!
-JDH, “I Will Not Be Silent”
Won’t you sing His praise, won’t you let it rise
Up from the ashes and all your pain,
Won’t you come and dance in Redemptionʼs rain?
-JDH, “Redemption’s Rain”
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
-Zephaniah 3:17
JOIN THE CHORUS
I was reminded this week that we rejoice over a God that has been rejoicing over us – over me, who is infinitely less worthy of such rejoicing than He is. Our God is worthy of silent reverence, and He is worthy of our shouts of praise. We can get lost in both ends of the spectrum, but I’d hate to wait until heaven to join the chorus of the multitude, the roar that is tearing down walls here and now.
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of
rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” – Revelation 19:6
BEYOND THESE WALLS
As Michael’s piece hammers home and I embraced all the more this week, to reduce worship to a song is a dangerous underestimation. These are the cries of a generation seeking the heart of God for the nations, an empowerment to bring His Kingdom to the world. A worship that doesn’t stop at the walls that surround, worshiping not just with open mouths and arms raised, but with open eyes. Let us rejoice in the worthiness, the power, the glory of the God we serve and step forward like we actually believe it!
