Praise and Worship

When we come together on Sunday morning we begin with Praise and Worship. Praise and Worship is not just listening to the pretty songs that the Praise team is singing. Because no matter how well they sing, and they do sing well, they cannot praise God for us. That is our job. It is not Dawn’s job to praise God for the congregation, it is her job to lead us in praising God.

There was a time when I really didn’t get it. I came in and I loved to sing the songs but I really wasn’t praising at all. I sang the words but I wasn’t making the connection. I wasn’t allowing the Holy Spirit to work on me so that I would truly enter in to a worshipful state. I don’t know that I can even put a finger on when it happened but somewhere along the way I began to open up more and more and I began to truly praise God in the Praise and Worship time. I remember that I had to forget about me and what was going on with me and concentrate on just thanking God for all the He is to me.

A few weeks ago we had the Superbowl Party at the church and at certain times everyone was getting up and yelling based upon what was happening in the game. Now I am a big sports fan and I have yelled at and for my teams for years and I am sure that many of you have done the same thing. Then why do we find it so hard to show our emotions when we are  supposed to be praising God? Let’s face it, I know that it is not “just a game” but we can’t equate sports with what our Lord has done for us.

Chances are no one on your favorite team knows your name or anything about you. But Jesus knows everything about you. He knows the desires of your heart and He truly cares about every aspect of your life.

So I challenge everyone to try harder to enter into a spirit of worship each and every Sunday. As Dawn said a few weeks ago, you only need to do a little bit more each time. Maybe that means raising your hand. Maybe it means just closing your eyes and just seeking the Lord in a more personal way. But I challenge you to reach harder for the Lord. After all we would do the same if our team made the playoffs.

Be blessed!