Matt Redman once said, ‘Worship is the ultimate reality check.’ (see here) So often, we view worship as escapism or something that’s a required but rather boring part of a Sunday service. We may even feel, as C. S. Lewis once did, that the repeated commands to praise God are proof He’s a bit of an arrogant big-head really! In worship, however, we focus on the ultimate reality that God will always be on His throne, He is always watching over us and cares about us. No matter what we are facing in life, in worship we ‘check in’ with the Rock of Ages and realign our focus with the King of Kings, reminding ourselves of His power, His provision and His protection.
Many people feel that the best worship is found in the songs of victory we sing when God has done something amazing and triumphant. Those songs are indeed fantastic testimonies and tremendously uplifting. But I actually think that the ability to worship God in the night, during times of tragedy and turbulence, when we have no idea whatsoever what God is doing or why He is allowing certain things to happen, is a greater testimony. Matt Redman goes on to talk of the nightingale, that bird which sings in the night, and of the evergreen tree, which is still green even in the barrenness of winter. That’s the kind of worshipper I long to be.
Kutless’ song ‘I’m Still Yours’ never fails to challenge me, because it asks hard questions:
‘When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there’s nothing left to steal me away
Will You be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?’ (‘I’m Still Yours’, Kutless)
I believe that worship enables us to sing, to hope, to carry on, no matter what our eyes see or our hearts feel. I believe it’s the ultimate reality check because it firmly places God at the centre of everything, where He needs to be. So often, our egocentric thinking believes it’s all about us. Worship reminds us that this is not the case, that God is the centre and that at the centre there is a throne and on the throne is a Lamb, slain for us. (Rev 5:6)
Take the time to draw near to God today. Matt Redman says, ‘I can’t promise your circumstances will change, but I can promise something inside of you can change when you worship God.’ We are transformed as we worship. (2 Cor 3:17-18)
