I desperately want to experience real, authentic worship. Even though I grew up in church, and despite my years of playing piano for churches, I am just now learning about what it truly means to worship God.
I used to feel uncomfortable in settings where people showed outward, uninhibited expressions of worship because I wasn't used to it. But they had something that I was missing. They experienced true, intimate worship in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I don't think I ever actively sought to enter the presence of the Lord during times of worship. Maybe I would sometimes ask Him to help me play a difficult song. Or occasionally I'd ask Him to calm my nerves. Yes, I prayed, but I used to make worship about
me when it should have been about
Him.
I've been reading in 1 Samuel about the life of young David, and I have thought a lot lately about my own worship. When Samuel anointed David to be future king, the Spirit of God fell on David from that day forward. He was a prophet, a poet, a writer of psalms, a warrior, and a skilled musician whose anointed playing on his harp drove evil spirits away. David was an imperfect person through whom God accomplished much by the power of His Holy Spirit. David was a man after God's own heart, and he knew how to worship.
I want to be like that. But do I seek after God's heart like David did? Much of the time, no. Like David, I am an imperfect person who has made some big mistakes. But also like David, I can seek forgiveness and ask the Lord to create in me a clean heart. The power of the Holy Spirit is at work in me in exactly the same way as He empowered David. And despite the many ways I have failed Him, God chooses to use me anyway.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. I am learning that real, authentic worship occurs when I seek to live my life in a way that ushers in the presence of the Holy Spirit. So if I mess up, I need to make it right immediately. Otherwise, the experience of worship will remain elusive. Shame on me if I stand in leadership on a praise team with an unclean heart. Shame on me if on a difficult day in the flesh, I don't seek to enter His presence and draw near to Him through prayer before I serve. Shame on me when I allow distractions to cause me to shift my focus back onto myself or anywhere else other than on Jesus.
Lord forgive me where I have failed You in these areas. When I agreed about a year ago to fill a position in a praise band, I felt intimidated and unqualified to be there. These people really knew how to worship, and I didn't. But my wonderful pastor took me aside and patiently coaxed me to just let go and not even worry about the notes I played. He said I should worship exactly the way I would in my own private worship time at home. I am ashamed to admit that back then I didn't experience those private times of worship he referred to.
But my pastor's encouragement made me more curious about how to really worship. Over time, I started to worry less about what I was playing, and I set out to simply praise my God. I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me how to worship and to anoint my playing. I asked Him to use me and play through me and to let all I do glorify Him rather than me.
Asking for His help in this way was a first for me. It used to be that all I cared about was sounding good. But now all I care about is entering into His presence and bringing glory and honor to His name. My worship is vastly different than it used to be, and so is my heart.
Psalm 9:1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. I still have a lot to learn about worship. But the good news is that I get to spend the rest of my life honoring and adoring my God----and I can do so any time, anywhere. And even better, I get to praise Him for all eternity! I long for the experience of worshiping in heaven. I wonder...what will it be like? Will I be able to keep the tears from pouring? Will I be able to keep from lifting my hands in praise and adoration when we meet face-to-face? Will I fall to my knees when I see Him? Will I even be able to speak in His presence?
I'll find out some day. But for now I have the privilege of entering into God's presence through His Holy Spirit----and that my soul knows very well.
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Matthew 5:23-24
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember
that your brother or sister has something against you,24 leave your
gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them;
then come and offer your gift."
In other words, "real, authentic worship" is centred in your attitude towards others. All the kneeling or happy clapping in the world is useless if you ain't got that right. I Corinthians 13 tells one that.
Charity is the ladder to heaven.
A long time ago I asked my Pastor for an appointment, just the two of us. When we met I asked him how to worship. He said in two words: Hallelujah and Amen.
Yeah! I love Holy Spirit led worship:) Lots of people dance/jump/shake/lay on the ground/do whatever they feel appropriate during worship at my church. I really like the freedom and how comfortable everyone feels in our community. Although, I think that sort of worship can be really uncomfortable for someone who is used to singing hymns or something.
Worship doesn't have to be an outward expression of anything. It can be. But it doesn't have to be, and often by doing so, we are simply outwardly showing others what we are feeling, when maybe they aren't. I've come what I refer to as full circle in worship. I'm not comfortable in speaking in tongues that others cannot understand nor refer to in study, but I'm comfortable singing God's praise. What's right for one might not be for another. And often the physical experience is more about emotionalism than God. The best time to find God is when we are alone, meditating on his beauty in life, praying, listening for wisdom, and just enjoying the blessings he has given us. We don't have to jump up and down and show others those things in order to feel his presence in our lives daily.
Worship for me, is a way of life. Not just a Sunday thing. I think it was Thelma Wells that once said, "Honey, You need to fall madly in love with Jesus!"
The word worship has cheapened with in the church to a certain extent-Its over used. The word Worship to some means things like singing, preaching. the whole service... I've heard some people say- "wasn't the worship awesome" and all they are really talking about is the music. Not every one is like that but it happens often.
Worship is an extreme form of showing your love to someone. When words like "I worship the ground she walks upon" Come to mind - ask your self; could you- "Worship the cross He died upon"
When you can take a long hard look at the cross and get it in deep that He did that for you- as in you personally - after ALL you have done (no insult intended- we all sin- me more then most, I think lol) Then showing Him your love becomes very easy. That love for Him will over flow into your music and your preaching and dancing or painting or whatever you do. Another word that would describe it would be passion.
When you realize that everything He does in your life is because He thinks you are to "to die for" then everything you do will be because He did die for you. And that becomes a life of worship!
Read Luke starting at 7:36 gets the idea of what I'm trying to say.
How do you know that they experienced more closeness with God? I can fake things really well to fit in, dance around and wave my arms like I'm in a trance (hey, Pagans do this as well!), but true worship is between God and the worshipper. You might have felt uncomfortable for good reason.
I don't think a pastor should ever tell someone " don't worry about the notes, just pretend you are at home". That is very individualistic thinking. Corporate worship must be respectful of ALL those attending. You aren't at home in the shower, so we shouldn't act as if we are. :)
Before I was a born again Christian I was a Lutheran and they didn't go up to the alters or raise their hands. My dad died when I was 16 I am disabled and I asked God for a stand in dad and he said come to his church and now I go up to the alter, religion is over rated. I always am tempted to say to my sisters "in heaven we won't be going to all these different services but we will go to one"
@NightCometh@xanga - Hear, hear!
We should also do our best not to be bothered or disrupted by our neighbors in Church. But the common worship of the Christian people, who come together for the purpose of the common worship, is something that we offer to God together as a Body- not an aggregate of individuals each behaving as though they were in private.
@NightCometh@xanga - I have to say that I agree that sometimes we are uncomfortable because people may be acting a sort of way not because they are spirit filled but because they are just acting.
However, I know sometimes it has just been my attitude affecting how I feel in similar situations. It was foreign to me and I was uncomfortable at first. But when I just focused on the Lord and getting my heart right with Him, I was able to worship Him and forget about being uncomfortable. No, I wasn't dancing around. But I don't think that we all have to do the same thing. We should be able to praise and worship the Lord in the way that the Lord leads us. For some that is dancing. For others, it is more subdued and quiet.
I don't think there is a "wrong" or "right" way to worship the Lord so long as your heart and motives are in the right place.
I was born again in 1965--best day of my life. I am still trying to figure out how to truly worship God. I am unable to attend church now, so I am limited to good TV preaching shows that offer nice praise music. I know it is more than that, but I know God is close and always helping. His Word daily helps me a lot. I like reading the Bible first thing in the morning.
I know from reading your post that becoming a widow sent you on an unplanned search for a closer walk with the Lord--like some of the Mary's had in the Bible. I wish you well.
Denominations emphasize different modes of worship and we have to find that attitude of worship that the Holy Spirit gives to us.
blessings
frank