Hammer on Anvil '

Last week I talked about gratitude and how I have allowed the culture we live in to influence me in negative ways -- that's a nice way of saying that I am spoiled, as are many Americans who have WAY too much of a good thing. 

The picture at the right is children worshiping at Lighthouse Christian Church near Mokopane. This is the kids' church gathering, which takes place in a separate facility from where the adults meet to worship.

The picture below is of a girls' youth group we were privileged to attend at a private, secular boarding school. The photo does not do it justice, but an average of 900 teenaged girls attend this youth group every Friday night. I knew we were in for a spectacular evening when we arrived half an hour early, and about 20 of the girls were already in the gymnasium. They were walking back and forth, hands raised, praying for God to move powerfully in their midst.



What strikes me about both these photos is the palpable JOY. Though many of these kids have few possessions, and some may not know where their next meal is coming from (if they get a meal at all), they were exuberant in worshiping Jesus. The throng of teenaged girls was so loud that at first I wished I had brought ear plugs -- but as the meeting progressed, I cherished the sound. These girls were serious about giving praise to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. They shouted, they hopped around and danced out of sheer joy in His presence.

Can we learn a lesson from this? I learned that it doesn't matter how much you have or don't have in the way of material possessions. It doesn't matter if you are hungry. It doesn't matter if you have the "proper" clothing to wear to church. Our God is worthy of our praise, wherever and however and as often as we can give it. We need not be reserved and dignified in His presence. Remember King David? In 2 Samuel 6, we are told "David danced before the Lord with all his might" (vs.14). In fact, he made such a spectacle of himself that his wife was embarrassed to the point that she "despised him in her heart" (vs.16).

Have you ever worshiped like that? Or do you stand during worship with your arms folded across your chest? Think about it: if we claim to be Christian, we have been saved from eternity in hell by the precious blood of Jesus. We will not receive the just punishment for all our sins, because Jesus took those sins upon himself and nailed them to the Cross. He has given us life when we deserved death. He has given us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, and to lead us and guide us into all the truth (John 16:13). How can these truths not inspire unbridled joy?

Perhaps you need to re-think the song part of your church's worship service. Songs are not sung merely to pass the time before the pastor brings the message. This a sacred time when we should put aside everything else to focus on God. Think about why He is worthy of our praise. Think about who He is -- and ALL that He is. Consider praying Psalm 51:15 as the music begins: "Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise."

I encourage you to make an effort to participate fully as you join your brothers and sisters in worship this weekend. Corporate worship is a powerful thing, and God manifests himself uniquely when His children gather to praise Him.