Isaiah 29:13a The
Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Worship is a very humbling
experience because it requires us to set aside time to come into the presence
of God. As we enter His holiness, we recognize that we are unworthy and
unprepared to encounter His sacred Spirit. We also understand that we have come
to serve God by acknowledging that He is our Creator, as well as the Controller
of our lives. In other words, worship requires us to let go of who we are, in
order to let God be who He is. Worship is not about us; it’s all about God.
Being human, we get distracted
during worship. Instead of focusing on the Lord, we think about other things –
our homes, our families, our work, or our schools. We know that we should
meditate and ponder on what the Lord has done, but instead we mull over our
problems and allow our minds to wander. Sometimes we miss out on the best parts
of worship because our thoughts are elsewhere. We don’t do this deliberately;
it’s just that we are human beings who get easily sidetracked.
It’s not a new problem either. Long
before there were any cell phones, tablets, or devices, people still got
distracted. Even 2,700 years ago, when Isaiah was prophetically given today’s
Bible verses, God’s people still found it difficult to focus during worship all
of the time. Just like us, they also had their worries, issues, and
distractions which is why Isaiah calls them out. The people might have shown up
and gathered together to worship God, but their hearts and minds were on other
things. They couldn’t sustain their focus on God; they couldn’t free themselves
from other diversions.
So does that mean that worship is
ineffective? Certainly not. When we gather together in worship, we are with a
body of people who greet and befriend us, encourage and support us through both
the good and bad times in our lives. We also share wonderful moments when the
Spirit touches our hearts and souls together, so that we can build upon our
relationships with God and one another. We come together to worship God in
church; we leave together to serve God in the world.
Questions for personal reflection
What distracts me
during a worship service? How do I get re-focused on God?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us
to worship God in church. Thank You for the songs we sing, the prayers we pray,
the stories we hear, and the scriptures that are preached. Thank You also for
the people who worship alongside us – our families, our friends, our Christian sisters
and brothers. Bless the worship we attend and help us to focus on God. In Your
Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s
message or ask questions, please send your email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. If you would like to view a
larger version, please click on this link: Pentecost.
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