Finding the “I” in Worship
For many of us, the COVID-19 situation has changed the routine of our everyday lives. We’re now more restricted and cautious when heading out of our houses and only going out when necessary. The work hours of our weekdays are still routine and driven by the demands of our day jobs but the evenings and the weekends are where we start to find that we suddenly have extended spare pockets of time as there is now no need to commute and even shopping can be fulfilled via deliveries.
Deciding to stay at home and being told by the government to stay at home changes the way we perceive this period of social distancing and isolation. I never thought about the possibility of being told I cannot physically attend church and I thank God for the virtual tools that allow us to come together to worship, pray, learn and edify each other. Matthew 18:20 tells us that “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Even when we are gathered virtually, I believe this constitutes a gathering and we know He is with us even as we worship across the web.
It’s definitely easier to be encouraged when we gather together with our cells and ministries but what happens when we are physically apart - do we lose something otherwise?
This thought swam in my mind for a week and as I meditated on it and I came to this realization. I have been going to church to worship, pray and learn as part of my weekend service routine every week. However, this had led me to become less disciplined in my personal walk as I regarded time spent in church as part of my daily walk with Him. This is akin to students relying on tuition to replace personal studying time, when tuition should really only be a supplement.
So when the circuit breaker kicked in, I felt slightly handicapped and at a loss.
This led me to remember that my relationship with Him is an individual choice and the situation now presents an opportunity for me to draw closer to Him and dive deeper into His Word and presence. It is time to come back to our first love. Our love for Jesus should reflect an intimate relationship between two people. This is where the “I” in worship comes, where we use our own worship to express our love to Him.
Phrases like “I exalt You” and “My soul sings” are some examples of how worship is captured in the bible – worship is our fragrant offering to the Lord, it is an intimate setting before us and our Creator. We don’t need a full band just to sing a song or enter into His presence, our personal worship is our love song to Him. In John 4, the Samaritan woman asked Jesus if the Jews ought to worship in Jerusalem and Jesus’ response was that a time is coming when the location of worship would not matter, but the heart of the worshipper. Verse 23 states “but an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” We don’t need to be in church physically to worship Him, our attitude towards worshipping Him will determine if we are His true worshippers.
All of us now have pockets of free time and we have a choice to make. The hour is now - it’s up to us. Choose to spend more time with Him, worshipping in your own quiet spaces.
God bless you,
Phua Su Ann
Head (Creative & Corporate Communications), The Encounter