For the past week, I have been in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as a door holder for Passion Camp. It is a camp that is offered by Passion City Church. The camp is a huge week long conference for middle and high school students. The door holders were made of people in college and older, from all over the country. During camp, Jesus completely wrecked my heart on the topic of worship. Pastor Louie Giglio gave a powerful message on worship, and how we were created to worship.
When I think of worship, I think of people coming into church and lifting their hands while singing songs to God. Sometimes, I look up and see the faces of people, and most people have kind of a sad face as they worship. It got me thinking, do we worship God because we are coming from negative circumstances, in the hopes of getting in a better mood by having peace that God is on our side? This is honestly a mindset that I have taken, until recently.
Worship is proclaiming the wonderful truth that we are loved by an Immaculate Savior and Father. That when we are going through the valley, we are not alone. We are able to rest in the Great Comforter. 1 Chronicles says, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation day after day” (1 Chronicles 16:23). In Romans, Jesus tells us to give our bodies as a sacrifice, which is an act of worship. Praying that the will of the Father be our heart’s desire above our own is also an act of worship. Worship is more than singing songs and lifting our hands at church. Granted, those times are absolutely necessary, whether it be at church or in our secret place with Jesus.
Heavy things happen during pure worship. It is a wonderful exchange. During this time, we are giving God our worries and troubles, as it says in 1 Peter 5:7. When we give God those anxieties, God is, in exchange, giving us Himself; giving us His confidence, and His peace. God has been also teaching about true surrender in worship, and what it means to reverence Him. We always here to bow down before the King, but during camp, God really hit my heart with the fact that we should surrender during worship. This could mean many different things to different people, but to me God really imparted that getting down on our knees is a huge sign of surrender. One thing I noticed is that Ben Stuart, also a big voice in the Christian community, bows down on his knees every time he prays before giving a message. It became so clear to me that God truly desires to impart to us when our heart is open to receive.
Worship should not be a show. It should not be a contest of who can cry the most, or who can look the most pitiful in hopes that God would make everything right. It is an exchange, with us saying “God I am depending on You to guide me,” and God saying, “I am giving you peace and giving you joy because your heart is tender to Me.” This is so strong. Let this encourage and challenge us all to be uninhibited in our worship. Let us also live out our worship by taking up our cross, and letting Christ invade every aspect of our lives.
Much Love,
Ryan W.
