Ben Platt spoke a message that really should get us thinking. It said, “What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs, what if the screens were gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioner is off and the comforts removed? Would his Word still be enough to bring people together?”
Knowing that in 4 months I will be back in the States, this really got me thinking. I have spent my entire 2019 worshipping God in so many different places. In spaces that are a garage, homeless shelter, and church. In a kitchen as we hear the message through the walls as we are chopping vegetables. In a church that had no fancy decorations and no worship team, just a soundtrack and a congregation. In front of people’s houses as they transformed their front yard into a church service. On mountaintops, rooftops, in grass fields, next to rivers, and in small coffee shops. In a gazebo with a drum and the joyous harmonies of 40 women praising together.
I have learned throughout my time on the race that when you strip all the comforts away, all that’s left is your voice and the presence of God. I have learned that this is enough for me to worship and praise louder than I ever did at home. I love the idea of getting a little uncomfortable so that I can become comfortable in the presence of my Father.
The thing about getting into God’s presence is it’s meant to be simple. It’s meant to be just you and Him. Though the music and atmospheres we create in church can help, it’s not necessary for us to get there. We don’t have to strive to get there, we just need to learn how to abide!
There’s a song called Abide by Kingdom Culture Worship and the lyrics truly speak the simplicities of God and abiding in His presence.
There’s no striving just abiding in You
I want to be next to You
I want to be one with Your Spirit
Teach me to abide in You
To hear Your voice all around me
How would your worship change if you learned just to abide instead of trying to strive for God’s presence? How much clearer do you think you could start hearing Him speak to you? How can abiding create a newness in how you see Him in everything around you?
These are questions I’ve been pondering in lately and am continuing to want to grow in. I want an authentic relationship with my Father. I want to be able to worship Him freely. I want to just learn how to abide in His presence daily rather than constantly putting this striving pressure to get there. I want to come home not afraid to love Jesus at the same magnitude as I have out on the field. I want that true change, and I’ve got 4 more months to keep growing and learning.
