WHEN THE WORLD HURTS, WE WORSHIP

“We don’t sing songs of joy and victory in the face of this darkness, because we are living in denial. It’s because we are living in defiance.” --Rend Collective

 

The greatest moments bring you to your knees—exactly where God wants you.

When you are on your knees you are humbled, lowered, and surrendered.  

"I just recently heard a quote “sometimes you have to worship through it.” I loved that. Think that fits perfectly here. Sometimes we worship as a result of victory or release. Sometimes we worship bc we saw a miracle. But sometimes we just worship till He sees us through to the other side because that keeps our focus on Him, not the warfare. Love you guys!"

-- Bekah F.

What is worship?

Since the start of this pandemic, I've asked myself this quite a lot. Worship is singing praises,  and making music, but it's also praying to and spending time with our Creator, and reading His word (the holy Bible). I will go so far as to say that worship is more than an act, but a lifestyle.

Good thing, especially because we were without a physical place (and even our physical people) to worship alongside with.

Worship reveals the heart

We are made in God’s image. He created the heavens and the earth, and so we are hardwired—we have it in us --to create, too. And being creative also means being resourceful. 

When God qualifies who He calls, well, then that’s because He qualifies by giving us the situations and circumstances in which He knows we will grow from. 

He may stretch us outside of our comfort zone, but that is the only way to expand a comfort zone.

If worship is a lifestyle, it's also who we think about every day, speak to, and spend time with. It’s who we prioritize.

If I think of God first thing each morning, and open my Bible soon after that, the people I come in contact with each day get ministered by me (through Him)  if I put Him first.  

This is why I love Rend Collective’s new song, I Choose to Worship.  I choose to worship God. And, no matter what my circumstance, good, bad, or indifferent—I choose to worship Him.

There have been other songs about worship (Praise Him in the Storm by Casting Crowns, In the Eye of the Storm By Ryan Stephenson, and the hymn It is Well with My Soul by Horatio Stafford. 

Praising God with song, even in poor circumstances is an idea that we forgetful humans need reminded of sometimes. 

So, do we continue to praise God in the midst of this pandemic? 

Yes.

Praising God can move mountains.

It’s what Paul did in prison, and the shackles fell off. 

But, that’s also what Steven did when he was stoned to death. 

It’s what Jesus did on His way to all the days leading up to, and to the very moment until his suffering, death, burial, and resurrection.

Worship is an opportunity

By middle of March, most of the country was thrust into crisis. The Coronavirus pandemic and our world shut down. Did you know the word crisis spelled out in the Japanese symbols is two words together? "Danger" and "Opportunity."

How cool is that? Danger + opportunity= Crisis.

Or, Crisis= danger + opportunity. 

Or, a crisis means danger, but it also means opportunity!! 

Danger on its own is forbearing, brooding, negative. Opportunity on its own is positive, hopeful. 

But, together the two ideas are how the Japanese define Crisis! 

When the world shut down, families had the opportunity to spend time together. Parents had the opportunity to homeschool their children. Corporate office workers had the opportunity to work from home. Fitness buffs had the opportunity to find great apps to workout at home. Churches had the opportunity to learn how to share their message online. World-wide, new hobbies were discovered, puzzles were completed, books were written and read.

Worship in the time of COVID-19 and Police Brutality 

In just a few months, the world flipped upside down. 

What first occurred in China sounded devastating. Millions of people affected by this highly contagious virus. Then, reports came from other countries. Italy decided to mandate a quarantine, meaning citizens couldn’t leave their houses, stores were closed, and masks were worn everywhere. 

COVID-19 continued to spread, and so did the number of deaths.

This was February. By March, we heard of cases coming here, to the United States.  The state of Washington was hit hardest first.  40 people inside one nursing home were affected.

By Mid-March, cases hit here in Connecticut and that’s when some decided to self-quarantine. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer flew off the shelves.

Will the world understand why toilet paper...

Every day, there were more cases reported, more deaths, more stores closed up, and more jobs being lost.

By late March, New York was declared a “hot spot” of germs, and before long our state mandated social distancing, the practice of staying 6 feet (2 meters) away from people. Stores and libraries closed.

Large social gatherings (really, anything more than 10 people) closed.

Millions are now working from home. 

Thousands more have lost their jobs.

Finally, the call came in from our church. “No services this Sunday. We are following the state mandate. No public gatherings.”

I thought this would only go on for a couple of weeks. Wrong.

It’s still going on. It is April. We had Easter services via video.

Kevin and I submitted a song (he is, I should say WAS not a fan of video!) for the Easter service, and the church wants to have music each week.

Around the same time, Rend Collective, announced on Instagram they are holding a Socially Distant Worship Club.

I tuned in to this live. Even with the small screen of my phone, and it was like I was sitting in the band's living room listening to an unplugged and intimate concert. Hearts flooded the screen and comments like "Love this band!" "keep doing this, love worship!" streamed constantly. 

Scheduled to release a CD at the end of March, the band had to cancel scheduled concerts due to social distancing. The band has since launched their CD, and their "Socially Distant Worship Club" continues to meet weekly.

Conclusion:

God is always working things out for His and our own good. Phil. 1:6,  Romans 8:28, and Jer. 29:11. For those that love him, yes, but what about the world too? 

God so loved the world(emphasis mine)  that He sent His only begotten son

Some people don’t believe we are born in sin, but we can all agree this world is broken.

We can trust God is in control. 

As the Christian children's song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” says the world has been in His mighty hands since the day He created it.

So that alone makes sense that He is using this crisis as an opportunity to work even this crisis out for His own good.

“There are no coincidences only God-incidences,” my husband says.

The truth is, where there is uncertainty, God is stable. God is able. 

 Are there other ways that you can choose to  worship during crisis and trying times? Share your comment below.

Like this post and want to hear more? Make sure to scroll to the top of the page and subscribe. Think of the moments in your life that brought you to your knees, when you received news of an illness, a loved one dying, a huge financial setback, or a betrayal.

Fortunately, God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. 

God prepared you for whatever it is you are facing today.

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