Worship

I realize it must look really strange for someone who doesn’t believe in God, to see people raising their hands and singing to something that they don’t think is even there.

There is something interesting about being in the presence of a vast object. I live by the ocean, which is awesome to me. I have always liked the ocean, but never thought I would ever get the opportunity to live near it. It is a major blessing. Many people wish they could and here I am. For me, why I like it is simple. I get great pleasure out of standing in front of the vastness of it. I feel small next to it, really tiny, but somehow seeing how big it is, makes me feel, well, more. This is what worship is like.

God is vast. That word doesn’t even do Him justice. Outside of time and space, with power that is infinite. Even if you could put all the suns that exist in all of space together, the power emanating would not compare…even remotely. Imagine the radiation of light and heat, add to that the terrible vibration that would tear our very molecules apart. The thought of standing next to something like that would be terrifying. For some, standing before a vast object has an additional emotion, a strange desire to run headlong into it.

I think it is a drive to embrace the terrifying bigness because, somehow, we can become part of it, connect with it. When someone, who believes in God, sings a simple, even stupid and repetitive song, something happens. It is hard to explain to someone who has never been there. In a small way it is similar to standing before a massive mountain peak. It is overwhelming up until you become overcome with that simple desire to connect…”I must climb it”.

There is a connection. You feel it, sometimes even see it with eyes not in your head. It is overwhelming even to causing your emotions to run haywire. Tears can flow, even uncontrollably. I have started shaking, laughing and even, yes, falling to the ground.

Of course much of what anyone, who goes into a church can see, is people who fake it. It saddens me that this happens, but it does. I think it is that feeling that they have to fit in, but if it is not real to them, it only diminishes the little faith that they may have. Lies, especially to ourselves, are never a good thing.

No, we are not weird. Even though many who watch a man climb a steep cliff seems to think so, we are likewise really experiencing something amazing. That presence is awesome. You feel small next to it, yet at the same time you feel really cared about. Often this immense being will speak to you. It reverberates in your mind and soul. Usually it is something encouraging, something to draw you in further. It also could be a command or even a rebuke. Like a good father, the rebuke is generally backed by a kindness that assures you that the change you need to make is for your own good. The communication in worship is the most pure I have ever experienced. There is no way you can get it wrong. You receive it at a level that is so deep, so profound; it will change you one way or another. It is also addicting.

I feel a great sadness for those who have never experienced it, especially for those who mock it. I get it, it looks weird, but like climbing that mountain, there is nothing quite like it, once you get over that initial fear of it.

Look, He is God, the highest and most powerful being in all of reality…and you see it…HE is looking at you. Yea, no celebrity meet would even come close to it. I know God. He is the one who made every famous person who ever existed. Yes, I think that is impressive. It does something for your internal perspective. I am small, yes, but this massive being likes me, no, loves me. No, I don’t understand why, because I am so small and seemingly pointless, yet He does and I have no doubt of it. You see, it is obvious to me every time I engage in that strange looking practice.

Yes. It is addicting.