popular with a particular church segment than with others ) that invite congregations to sing an invitation for God to come - to rain down , to be welcome , to be more present . But isn ’ t He already present ?
A friend of mine recently described the role of the “ worship leader ” as someone whose task is to “ create an environment for people to meet Jesus ”. Another tells me that he teaches his “ worship team ” that their role is to set a table so that the people will come to the table to eat a meal with Jesus . But don ’ t we need to know that we are “ meeting with Jesus ” in every moment ?
Yet another tells me that God becomes “ more present in worship ” when he is more spontaneous - leaving the song structure behind - and loses himself in deep , flowing , extended worship . Is that really God becoming more present ? Or perhaps my friend is entering a trans-like state that he interprets as God becoming more present ?
I was part of a ZOOM class put on by the Australian Worship Network not long ago where the guest instructor explained that the most important thing she wanted to encourage us listeners to do was to spend more time in God ’ s presence .
I hear statements like , “ Welcome to the house of the Lord !” at the start of some church services . Or even , “ God is in da house !” These statements ( and others like them ) suggest that God fills the building rather than residing within the people and , indeed , everywhere . Yet , The Bible clearly declares that …
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands . ( Acts 17:24 NIV )
I think what we mean is that there are times when we become more aware of God ’ s presence . We may sense something different in the atmosphere . A particular touch , thought , word or emotion that we interpret as God ’ s presence . But it ’ s not that He wasn ’ t there and then He showed up . He is always there . I am always filled with His Spirit . We become more aware .
I don ’ t believe it ’ s helpful to use language that suggests that God isn ’ t present and then becomes present - that He is distant and then comes closer . Doing so can be divisive . But we can use language that tells our story . Rather than using language that suggests that God is only present some of the time , it ’ s totally valid to express our emotions , our feelings and thoughts .
For me ? Well , sometimes when I am singing of God ’ s immeasurable worth , for some reason God uses that moment to make me more aware of Him - who He is , His love , His grace , His mercy , His presence with me . It can be like God pours His healing oil on the rusty hinges of the gates of my heart , and those gates swing a little wider and it feels like some more of who God is flows into me . I don ’ t know how else to express it . Sometimes this experience is gentle and soothing . Sometimes overwhelming or even convicting .
But experiences like these don ’ t happen every time I ’ m singing worshipfully . For me , they tend not to happen when I ’ m praying , or reading scripture or meditating . And experiences like this can happen at other times and other places too . Sometimes when I least expect them : When I ’ m gazing at the mountains I can see from my mailbox or in the midst of a dark , difficult moments of doubt .
Thankfully , I am becoming more and more aware of God ’ s presence everywhere and in every moment . I am grateful for these experiences that can prompt my awareness , but God ’ s presence does not depend on my feelings . Thank you God !
This is just my experience - what I believe is happening . But it may not be like that for anyone else . We ’ re all created as unique individuals after all . Some of my closest , dearest brothers and sisters in Christ don ’ t seem to have experiences anything like what I have described , yet their lives shine brightly with the fruit of God ’ s Holy Spirit who I am sure dwells within them . ( Galatians 5:22-23 )
I want and I need to know His presence in every moment of every day . Not just when I ’ m feeling or intentionally focused of His presence . That ’ s what I want for the congregations I get to lead in sung worship too .
There are differences between us , yes , but we need each other . I strongly believe that God ’ s presence is for ALL Believers . That being in God ’ s presence is a fundamental , core principle of faith in Jesus as the Christ , but our experience and understanding of God ’ s presence can be different from each other . This doesn ’ t have to be an “ either / or ” scenario . God is bigger than our experiences and our understandings combined . This can be both / and .
Unity is only found through Christ . His sacrifice provides the way for us all to be in God ’ s presence . This has been God ’ s plan all along ! He just wants us all to be in His presence … all … the … time .
More on this topic in the next article .
Stay tuned !
Grant Norsworthy founder of MoreThanMusicMentor . com
MoreThanMusicMentor . com
26 November 2023 Subscribe for Free ...