FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008,11:37 a.m.
FROM A PURE HEART
I've been thinking just lately of the trend in corporate worship sets to focus on God alone and not on ourselves. This has been a thrust of the worship world for probably a decade or so, and I think it has been both necessary and good. In fact, to go one step further, I believe it is what God was teaching His church for this season. It was an intentional move to take our eyes off of self and place them on God, His character and His works, choosing to set aside our own feelings and ensure that we are seeing God purely.
As I've been thinking about it more lately, however, I wonder if we need to now go back to the place of personal expression (not that we ever totally left it). The place where in light of what we've learned about exalting God, irregardless of ourselves, we can worship Him as a reaction to His character and His works. Worship is, in its essence, a response. A response to God's majesty and redemptive power. We can respond with "God You alone are good" and we can respond with "I praise You, God, because You alone are good and have saved me". Both are true.
I have been reading a bit of St. Augustine's writings recently. He recounts his sinful past and the things that he did that deserved death. But in all his telling of his own history, it is not a glorification of his sin. Through it all it is the glorification of God that He was not only able but willing to save him from that sin. It exalts God, not his own depravity.
Is not this what worship really is? Can we not lose sight of God just as quickly regardless of what words we are singing? Can we not sing "I love You, I love You, I love You" and be thinking of ourselves and how much we love just as easily as we can sing "I love You, I love You, I love You" and be thinking about God and how worthy He is of all love and devotion?
Once again, worship comes back to the heart. The words are sometimes irrelevant. The actions are sometimes irrelevant. Words and actions express the heart - and worship is from a heart that is bent on bringing God pleasure and renown. I don't believe it was a mistake that God has purposed for us to take our eyes and the words of our songs completely off of ourselves for a season. Perhaps with a refreshed view of His glory alone we may sing of our love for His glory with purer hearts.
As I've been thinking about it more lately, however, I wonder if we need to now go back to the place of personal expression (not that we ever totally left it). The place where in light of what we've learned about exalting God, irregardless of ourselves, we can worship Him as a reaction to His character and His works. Worship is, in its essence, a response. A response to God's majesty and redemptive power. We can respond with "God You alone are good" and we can respond with "I praise You, God, because You alone are good and have saved me". Both are true.
I have been reading a bit of St. Augustine's writings recently. He recounts his sinful past and the things that he did that deserved death. But in all his telling of his own history, it is not a glorification of his sin. Through it all it is the glorification of God that He was not only able but willing to save him from that sin. It exalts God, not his own depravity.
Is not this what worship really is? Can we not lose sight of God just as quickly regardless of what words we are singing? Can we not sing "I love You, I love You, I love You" and be thinking of ourselves and how much we love just as easily as we can sing "I love You, I love You, I love You" and be thinking about God and how worthy He is of all love and devotion?
Once again, worship comes back to the heart. The words are sometimes irrelevant. The actions are sometimes irrelevant. Words and actions express the heart - and worship is from a heart that is bent on bringing God pleasure and renown. I don't believe it was a mistake that God has purposed for us to take our eyes and the words of our songs completely off of ourselves for a season. Perhaps with a refreshed view of His glory alone we may sing of our love for His glory with purer hearts.
