Over the last month I have been doing a lot of thinking about worship. What does it mean to me? How can I get involved in it more? What exactly does God expect me to bring to Him as my worship?
I know that my life is meant to be 'an act of worship' and I really hope it is. Though, recently I have been thinking about how I actually respond to God in and through times of corporate worship in church and in meetings. For a long time I have always played the Presbyterian card and have thought that as long as the worship is in my heart as I sing, my worship is valuable and authentic. But, what about those times when all I do is mumble the words? What about the time when that is all I do?
I have been rediscovering how worship is a chance for me to actively respond to God - what do you think about this? How do you respond to God in worship? When we sing together in church what are you doing? What are you thinking about? How are you trying to get your heart to connect with God? Does the style of worship matter? Does it matter what instruments are used?
One of my most favourite traditional pieces of worship is St Patrick's breastplate and one of Tim Hughes new songs reminds me of this. He has a song called 'Everything' and it goes . . . .
God in my living, there in my breathing,
God in my waking, God in my sleeping.
God in my resting, there in my working,
God in my thinking, God in my speaking.
Be my everything,
Be my everything;
Be my everything,
Be my everything.
God in my hoping, there in my dreaming,
God in my watching, God in my waiting.
God in my laughing, there in my weeping,
God in my hurting, God in my healing.
Be my everything, be my everything;
Be my everything, be my everything.
If God is in everything then our worship is worth it. God wants to be involved in our lives - our lives our living sacrifices. He wants us to respond to Him. To include Him. To love with His glory seeping out of every pore in our bodies. He wants to be our everything!
