Worship in America

So I know I've posted about how awesome it was to go to Church in Singapore and how moving the worship there is. I just had to do this post about church here, in America, in a mid-sized church in Shawnee Kansas.

Yesterday was our first time back to church since our trip (we were all time zoned out last Sunday and slept right through Sunday morning, probably because we were up most of the night). I participate in a prayer ministry for my church that specifically prays for Sunday Services. This Friday, as you can imagine, my prayers focused a great deal on worship and the desire of my heart to feel that deep worship I felt in Singapore, and that others in my church would have a deep passion for worship.

Let me just say that God does not disappoint. While the worship is not the same as what I experienced in Singapore it was still a pretty awesome experience. I'm sure it is not because of me, or my prayers, or even having my husband next to me (usually he is on stage, part of the worship team). No, it is simply because I allowed God to be the focus of my worship time and did not allow anything to distract from my attention being solely focused on Him.

Everything else enhanced that experience. The song choices, others around me, the leading of the worship team. But really, God reminded me that true worship comes from the heart, from my heart. As I sang, prayed, and read aloud the scripture presented, the thought came into my mind that "what if this is the last time I could worship God here on earth", "what if this is the last time I could worship with these brothers and sisters in Christ". What if something happened and I woke up and found myself in His presence? Would I want to remember my last time on earth worshipping to be filled with thoughts about how others are or are not praising the Lord or do I want to know that I didn't waste even a single second of that opportunity? For me it is the latter.

So in the space of my chair, in the small area I stood, I just forced all others thoughts to leave my mind so my sole focus could be on honoring and glorifying God. My soul was moved and my heart prepared for the message that God placed in the heart of the Pastor to present. And the song titled "Open the eyes of my heart" became true as I listened to that message.

My heart was prepared to really "hear" Ephesians 2:10 -
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

And I realized this is THE purpose to life. To fulfill the God given mission we have all been assigned. Not to live for self, or to merely exist, but to live for Christ and to do the "good things" that He planned in advance for us to do. In that process Christ is glorified and God is honored. In that process life makes sense. In that process there is a peace in my soul that surpasses all human understanding.

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!