More than Music

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.”
- Psalms 19: 1-2

When I was a kid, I went to church with my grandparents almost every weekend. It was a tiny little Baptist church in the country. I'm pretty sure we were related to every member in some way or another. Even if we weren't, we were family all the same.

My favorite part of church was always the singing. It didn't matter if there was music or not. There never seemed to be a plan for who was singing, what they were singing, or even when they were going to sing. I have fond memories of Ms. Lucy standing up and singing in the middle of a sermon. The preacher, often my own papaw, would stop and just listen. I can recall more than once seeing a whole congregation moved to tears at one of these “interruptions”. As a kid, I remember asking why people didn't get in trouble for interrupting. Goodness knows I had my ear pinched a time or two for interrupting. My granny told me that when the Spirit moves you, then it’s not an interruption – it’s an instruction. I didn’t get it at the time.

When I became an adult and went back to church, worship was a different experience entirely. The songs were not the old hymns. There was no songbook in the seat in front of me. Instead, there was a worship team, a full band, and lyrics on the big screen. The concert experience of worship changed the way I looked at worship. Worship was fun. Worship was exciting. If I'm being honest, though, it wasn't long before worship was about me – especially if I didn't like it.

Then one day, my life was flipped upside down. Everything tangible that had given me stability in this world was gone. In a moment, there was nothing left except me and Jesus. I can remember sitting on my porch, looking up at the starry sky, and asking, “Okay, God, now what?” He answered me, as He often does, with the lyrics to a song: “If the stars were made to worship, so will I.”

How do the stars even worship? They can't speak, let alone sing. All they do is shine! They just exist when and where they were created. They provide light in the night. Stars were the first maps. In fact, a star stood still over the birth of Jesus. Is it really that simple? That all I need to do in my life is worship Him? Worship by shining exactly when and where I was created? Worship by allowing the Jesus in me to provide a glimmer of light in the dark places around me?

Worship is so much more than a song. It very much is an interruption – in the best possible way. Worship causes me to stop and just bow down in the presence of God. Worship is obedience to the Creator. The sun rises in worship. The rain falls in worship. The seasons change in worship. The plants grow and bloom in worship. All of creation was designed to worship.

I believe that anything you do in your life in obedience to the calling God has placed on your life is true worship. Everything done that reflects His character, in word and in deed, that is how you worship. When you have a heart that is postured in a place of worship, you have the greatest power imaginable – the power of the peace that only God can give. A peace that surpasses all understanding (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7) – a peace that can and will protect you from the harshness of the world we live in.

So, I will continue to turn up my radio, belt out that song, and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. I will also sit in the quiet and listen for His voice, look around me and find God, no matter the situation, and then lift my hands and thank Him for meeting me here.

Sister, I am already thanking Him for meeting you there as well ❤