01/20/2026
Worship
Part of the sermon this past Sunday was on worship. The pastor said that we don't worship to make ourselves happy, but we worship to bring joy to the heart of God who is worthy of worship.
Worship comes in all different kinds of ways. Earlier Sunday morning, our praise team was practicing the music before the service. The daughter of one of the musicians, hearing the music, stood beside her father and began spinning around. Her father did the very same thing that I would have done as a parent and told her to stop, but my Grandma heart said, "No, don't do that, she's praising God." You see, the word "rejoice" means to spin around. I remember those days as a child, spinning around. I've never seen a grumpy person spinning around. The scripture compares joy with leaping and in Isaiah 35:6 it is compared to how a deer leaps. "Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.". Have you ever felt so happy that you want to spin around and leap with joy. The scripture describes David dancing before the Lord. Can you imagine if someone in our church did that? Would we be like David's wife and look at disgust with someone whose focus was so intensely on God that God was all he was aware of? I know myself enough to know that I probably would be doubtful of their motivation. But I think when David danced before God, it was evident to all that it was the spirit of God.
Dancing isn't my thing. I don't know my right foot from the left, literally. It takes me awhile to figure out which is my right and left. I usually have to think of which hand do I write with. (This is particularly frustrating to my husband when I'm driving and he wants me to make a sudden left turn! ) I was also raised with the teaching that Christians shouldn't dance, not scriptural! Still it's hard for me to get past what I've been taught. But just like the little girl spinning around to the worship music, it shows a heart filled with joy before the Lord. I think that is why scripture says we need to be like the little children free to express themselves fully before God unashamed. I'm more of an unexpressive worshipper, too consumed with what others might think.
Recently our daughter took a group of sixteen college age students to a Cru convention (formerly Crusade for Christ). These conferences are so impactful with students with hearts moved. Their final worship service has thousands of young people worshipping God in an expressful way. Last year the favorite worship song was not sung because the students start jumping up and down, I think they had a light come down in the floor beneath them one year. (This also terrifies my daughter who has a big fear of structural soundness). This year they allowed the students to sing the praise and worship song. I believe they were in a different area this time. Not my thing, jumping up and down, but no one could say that it wasn't God working and that the kids weren't filled with total worship to God. God is so experienced in this conference that those walking away know He was there. (I asked my daughter what song makes them jump up and down, I can't remember the name of it right now, but I remember thinking, "What?" Not a song you would think of jumping to).
Worship is different for all of us but when we get to heaven, I think this reserved girl, who doesn't even raise her hand in worship, is going to be jumping up and down, leaping and spinning in joy.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. Psalm 150
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxmWOB8M_yKatbQndbtlWJ8E1YVrrmA0JZ?si=SNIA0rIGCluUgWdZ
