Over a period of weeks, Pastor Jim recently covered the subject of worship. In my quiet time during the weeks following, I found myself again pondering the word worship. It means adoration, devotion, love, reverence, and respect. I considered the act itself. What is it to me? What does God expect from me? Could I ever worship with reckless abandon? What inhibits me? Here’s a little of where my mind went…

What is my focus? Early in my walk, I went to a church where members openly expressed different postures of worship. One sat in her seat with eyes closed tight, another jumped up and down in the aisle with their eyes open. Others held their hands open, some raised, some waved. I mean, God was invisible, should our worship really be on display for all to see? It took awhile, but I recognized that they were so focused on God they didn’t see me or my need to focus on my own interaction with God.

What is my attitude? At first, I wanted to be offended by their actions. I was an infant Christian. As I read through the Bible, I found in 2 Samuel 6, the story of King David who danced before the Lord. His wife Michal caught him making such a ‘fool’ of himself and despised him in her heart. I thought to myself,yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. When she brought it up to David, his answer in verses 21 and 22, must have surprised her.

“I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”

What is my purpose? On one hand, King David is referred to as the man after God’s own heart. Had David gone too far? The Lord sided with David. In all the Bible, nowhere does it say anyone worshipped too much. It does say, “King David danced before the Lord with all his might.” The Lord blessed David and closed Michal’s womb all of her days. I realized that worship, even outrageous worship, was for the benefit of God, not man, or woman.

Who is my audience? I am less like King David than I want to admit. Not only did David offend his wife, she tried to embarrass him. Instead of pulling back, he intended to take it further until he was humiliated in his own eyes. I care what my husband thinks, what my family thinks. Sometimes, I even care what the strangers in my row at church think. But in those moments when I don’t care, take a leap, stand, raise my hands, or call out to the Lord, He shows up in a powerful way. He removes burdens, he answers prayers. And a revelatory thought shoots through my mind: Worship is between you and God.

I remember when I fell in love with my husband. I didn’t care what people thought if we held hands or kissed in public, it was between me and him. The world melted out of sight. I try to hold that in my mind as I worship the Lord. That it’s our time to commune with Him on a different level.

This devotional was written by a talented writer and artist from our congregation, Julie Morrison. For more of her thoughts check out her blog at http://www.theradicalwrite.blogspot.com/.