This past weekend, we were treated to Clayton Brooks from Oaks Church in Red Oak, Texas. He shared his heart and we were blessed to have a time of praise and worship led by one of their teams. Wasn’t it incredible?
Worship is one of those topics a lot of church goers aren’t completely sure about. What is it for? Why do we start every service with music? What’s the deal with people raising their hands? Do I clap my hands? What about dancing and singing? Should I close my eyes? Bow down on my knees?
I’ll try to keep this simple, even though the topic itself is as complex as reading Dostoevsky or designing a circuit board for NASA.
Let’s look at the first questions. What is the time of praise and worship for, and why do we start service with it?
Let me first say what this time is not. Praise and worship is not an appetizer. It is not the part of service that can be skipped if you’re running late and hustling to get the kids checked in. It is not about the band, performing a concert to get people pumped up.
Praise and worship opens the service because it is a time to prepare your heart to hear the voice of the Lord. It’s a time to strip away whatever junk you walked into the building with. It’s a time to let go and tell the Lord how you feel about Him and receive His love in return. It’s about connection. Intimate, one-on-one connection.
Now. As for the rest, that’s much simpler to answer. Body positioning is a key component to communication. At least 80% of our communication in any situation is non-verbal. And worship, at its very core, is about communicating with the Creator of the Universe, our Heavenly Father. So our bodies should reflect the attitudes of our hearts.
We raise our hands in surrender. We have committed the crimes of sin against our Father, so we surrender ourselves to His great mercy. But also, holding our arms up, hands spread wide shows a position of abandon. Like David, we should seek to worship Him in all-out, no-holds-barred abandon. The practice of raising our hands is one of acceptance, as well. When receiving a gift from someone, do we not open our arms to accept it? This position shows our readiness to receive from Him.
If you want to clap, clap. Dancing? Singing? David did it. (Maybe leave the naked dancing at home, though.) Feel free. You have been liberated by the One who died and rose again, who ventured into hell for your ransom, after all.
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He so longs for you to meet Him in worship.
It’s not about what others are going to think. You have to leave that at the door along with everything else. Praise and worship is a time for you to be YOU, honoring and connecting with the Lord on His terms. Answer His call and reach out for His hand. Maybe He won’t ask you to worship Him in visible abandon. Maybe your spirit’s connection is more quiet, reserved. That’s okay.
But maybe He’s calling you to a deeper connection. To step outside of your comfortable place of invisibility. Maybe He wants you to sing a little louder, open those arms a little wider. Lift that head in praise and expectancy. Make worshiping Him a priority.
It’s a discipline and a gift. Between you and God and no one else. As long as your heart is abandoned to Him who deserves it all.
Love Jesus. Love each other. Love your city.
Harvest, go be the Church!
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