I will thank the LORD with all my heart; I will declare all Your wonderful works. I will rejoice and boast about You; I will sing about Your name, Most High.     Psalm 9:1-2 (HCSB)
For thousands of years we have worshiped God. Since Abel and Cain made their first sacrifices we have been ‘trying to get it right’. Maybe we should get our first ‘clue’ from them.
Later she had another son and named him Abel. Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land. One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the LORD, and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings.
The LORD said to Cain:
What’s wrong with you? Why do you have such an angry look on your face? If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling. But you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you, but don’t let it!     Genesis 4:2-7 (CEV)
Worship is personal. Worship is about my heart desiring to connect with God. Now, that in itself is pretty…daunting…scary. It brings a whole boatload of unworthy thoughts to my mind. And they are actually correct! I am not worthy to enter in to a close relationship to God. Jesus took care of the problem so that I can.
And so my worship is covered by Jesus’ blood and I can open myself and come close to God with the honesty of who I am and what I feel for Him. I can ‘dither’ over reading the correct Scripture and watch the clock to make sure I don’t go too long or too short, and fuss about the right music and how much music and do I sing on key but in the end it will not be any of those things that put me in the Abel List or the Cain List with God. It will be my heart. Is that the beginning and ending focus of my worship? Is my heart hungry for God? The music, the Scripture, the testimonies, the lessons, a sacrament of communion are all connected to give my heart the words to say as I worship Him. The variety of elements should give me the clue that worship is personal. There is no secret formula. What brings my heart closer in the connection with God is different than what touches the person next to me. The point is – we worship.
Worship God with energy not ambivalence. Worship God with honesty not with mindless ritual. Worship is not polished, perfect, or only done by those who have passed some Advanced Christianity course. It is just honestly real.
I am weary from my groaning; with my tears I dampen my pillow and drench my bed every night. Depart from me, all evildoers, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my plea for help; the LORD accepts my prayer.     Psalm 6:6, 8-9 (HCSB)
