Worship, Part 2

I would like to continue sharing some thoughts that I have gathered in my mind over the past few days concerning personal worship.  Worship has always been an important part of my life.  I can even go back to the days when I served as one of the musicians in our local church prior to my call into the ministry.  I can remember the important role that the selection of music played in the overall direction of the service.  Even as a young man I could sense that there was something unique and special about entering into the presence of God and our need to respond to that invitation from the Spirit.  I seek to maintain that same sense of recognition and response to the Holy Spirit even now these many years later in my life.

The Bible Study presentation on Wednesday night brought this question into my heart.  Do we truly treasure the presence of God in our worship services?  To properly answer that question I must pose another question.  What do we treasure in our worship service?  Do the singers treasure the sound and quality of their voices?  Do the musicians treasure the sound and quality of their musical ability?  Does the congregation treasure the style of music that "their" worship team has to offer?  Does the congregation treasure the idea that their worship team offers enough praise and worship to please God for those who are participating in that particular service?  Hopefully these questions serve to remind you of what we DON'T NEED TO TREASURE.  WE MUST TREASURE THE PRESENCE OF GOD WHEN WE OFFER OUR WORSHIP TO GOD!  I want to emphasize that point of revelation.  Have we truly worshiped if we have not identified and treasured the presence of God?  We all can become captured by the artists; the style of music; the presentation of the music; and our enjoyment of the music. These recognitions can cause us to fail to spend time in the presence of God.  We must move the identification of the presence of God to the top of our worship list of goals and desires.  I enjoy good music, I enjoy the talent of quality singers, and I enjoy the arrangements of various worship teams.  But  I truly long for the presence of God.  Let us remember that it is the presence of God that meets the needs of our individual as well as corporate lives.  Look to identify the presence of God as you gather for corporate worship this coming Sunday.  You will be blessed as you bask in the rich presence of the Lord God Almighty.