In those moments when our vision is the clearest, we quickly admit that most of our lives are spent on us and not on Him. We may even admit that most of the time we invest in corporate worship is really spend dealing with our issues and not with His. God really doesn’t mind us dealing with our issues in church, He care about every detail of our lives. However, I think He wonders when we will return to our first priority and purpose in life—loving and pleasing Him.
Has the myth of “us” stolen the promise of His presence in your local church services? Is it time for a personal and corporate perspective change to refocus the “service” on Him?
We aren’t as “cocky” we devote more attention to Him than to us during our worship services. Why? It is because we can’t march according to human maps and man-made priorities in those meetings. We have no choice but to search for and seek out the face of the God who has the habit of “moving on us” to keep us out of presumption and habitual ritual. Any commitment to finding this God who hides can create some measure of godly tension and discomfort at times.
It’s a lot like trying to find the opening in heavy, room-darkening shades in an unfamiliar hotel room in the morning. Some of those rooms can get so dark that you can’t tell what time of day it is. Sometimes you get out of bed and try to find the opening in the drapes by running your fingers along the pleats until you suddenly see a shaft of light. “Oh, there it is.”
That is what we do in our services sometimes. We don’t exactly know where the opening leading to His presence is, so we just run our hands along the pleats of the veil until we find the place where it has been freshly ripped.
Are you committed to finding the God who hides? Just how uncomfortable and stretched are you willing to become in your pursuit of His presence?
God tends to take us beyond the edge of our comfort zones to change our perspective of His presence. He will gladly disrupt the patterns of entire congregations and cities if it means He will be welcomed and served with His favorite delight in the end. It all comes back to the question, “What does a human waiter offer a divine customer?” (Add the question, “What is the human waiter prepared to sacrifice for Divinity’s pleasure?”)
Gifted waiters don’t act as if you inconvenienced them by showing up in their restaurant or in their serving section. They make you feel special, as if you are a long-lost and beloved family member who has returned for a special reunion meal.
… Can I tell you that is also what a good worship “service” is like? The Lord loves to come to services where we anticipate His every desire and whim. He delights to see us carefully seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every part of the service—whether our preset song lists, order of service, or programs are disrupted or not.
What do you think??
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