But something new occurred to me this week. Though we may
say that the music “distracted me from worship,” have you ever had times when
worship distracted you from the music? That’s what happened to me Sunday. As we
opened the service with prayer, my prayer was “Fill my emptiness.” Then during
the music the phrase “fill my life again” came up in one of the songs
“coincidentally.” In that moment, I was aware of nothing but God’s filling
presence and power. That phrase could have occurred in any of a hundred different
songs or Scriptures, and the style of music had nothing to do with my worship.
For at least a brief moment, worship distracted me from the music and
everything else.
I wonder what it would take for us to realize that as the
true definition of worship? Worship is not a programmed set of events or a
specific time of the week. Worship is our response to God’s invitation to know
Him, love Him, and experience His presence in our lives each and every day.
Worship—focusing on God—should distract us from our problems, priorities, and
preferences. If any of those things are distracting us from “worshiping,” our
focus is on the wrong person (either ourselves or others).
It’s understandable that we get distracted. After all, we
are fallen people living in a fallen world. And when we come together for
corporate worship, it is good to try to minimize the distractions as much as we
are able. But even the best of human actions can’t guarantee that we will
become fully aware of God’s presence for that period of time. It’s not that God
isn’t there (since we know He is everywhere), or that we are not pleasing to
Him (because He loves us more than we know). The biggest problem is that we are
trying to look through a glass that is clouded by doubt, fear, misconceptions, self-centeredness,
and every other form of sin. Once in awhile God clears a little spot in the
glass and we get a glimpse of His glory. It may happen in a worship service or
in the beauty of nature, while listening to the radio in rush hour traffic or
holding a newborn baby, while singing, praying, reading, serving, or simply
being still.
My challenge for myself (and anyone who wants to join me) is
to make every effort to focus my attention on the One who is worthy of all
worship, and to let go of all that would distract me from Him. That may require
some changes in priorities and practices. I need to spend more time in prayer
and less time watching TV. I need to read more books that remind me of who God
is and fewer books that are only vaguely entertaining. I need to stop judging
those who are different from me and start seeking the One who calls us all His
children. I need to prepare my heart and mind for worship by confessing my sin
and remembering His love and forgiveness. And I need to pray for myself and
others who are assembling for worship that we will be led to seek His face.
(Another “coincidence”—as I finished writing this the radio in the office was
playing Matt Redman’s “Heart of Worship. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Zp586pvZg
)
