Resonate

It's been some years I've been yearning for worship to be more than singing about God's greatness.  I've felt more and more how important it is to resonate with God in worship.  The only pure and true worship we can give to God is when we are in complete unity and alignment with Him.  Not speaking, singing or serving at Him or toward Him, but in Him and Him through us.

Every time I've come to a place that embraces worship as speaking/singing/interacting directly to and with God, I've felt I'm home.  It's such a wonderful place and so familiar.  When songs are sung to Him intimately and not just about Him.  When my heart can lift up His greatness as already being present and not just future, not for what will be alone, but for what is!  I love and long for that state always - the state of awareness at whole new levels of His presence.

It's funny, people think I'm a little strange, but every day songs on the radio turn into worship songs to God when I'm in my car driving down the street and changing the words to sing to Him.  Everything belongs to Jesus and I love making them His in every way.  It brings me such joy and floods my heart with love for Him afresh.  I never want to just sing songs the same old way - I want every anthem fresh for His ears - to His heart alone!  When I sing with others - I want His heart to hear my unity with them from my unity in Him.

It's awareness of Him that is all that is lacking.  His presence is always here, always heaven is open.  I do not have to request He come - I just revel that He is always here.  I have the great joy of newness to my eyesight of Him almost daily.  His presence becomes more and more clear to my awareness.  This is what the Bride is growing in - seeing the beloved.  The beloved in our midst - we do not need to request He come or heaven come down.  He is here!  Heaven is here!  He dwells in us!  We welcome you Yeshua!!

How blessed we are to belong to You, God.  How wonderful to grow in knowing You.  I will never tire of growing in this and learning ways to discover Your presence anew.

There are many who resonate in this time.  We make the sound which comes from You in us.  It changes us in the process and the world around us.  It shakes the status quo and changes atmospheres. What an awesome opportunity and privilege!!  Help us to be aware of You more, God and respond, resonate in You!  Pour out your life through me, God - let me live for you alone!

Falling Down

You ever hear that verse?  The one where twenty-four elders are falling down and worshiping - casting their crowns before God's throne and glorifying him saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”  

Can you imagine what that would be like? To have that be your sole existence eternally? I'll be honest, when I was first introduced to those Revelation verses my thoughts were, "How boring! Gee, so glad I'm not one of them 24 elders! Sheesh, how tiring doing nothing but constantly falling down night and day for eternity casting crowns in front of God's throne".  I was actually a little afraid that life in heaven would be less than desirable.   God is so funny.  So many years after that initial thought, I was in a study on Revelation and God brought those exact thoughts back to me - like, right between the eyes!  I had to laugh. I mean seriously, I saw how ridiculous my thoughts had been! God just smiled at me. My thoughts had so changed.  Over the years, I had discovered for myself how astounding God really is. Not just the words in the bible about Him, but He Himself, personally - how wonderful He is.  I came to the understanding that it would be the most interesting, amazing and wonderful thing to actually GET to fall before Him face to face, over and over, worshiping. How each time is brand new, astonishing, distinctly fresh and leading to a whole different level of adoration.  Seeing and experiencing previously hidden things, glorious revelation and creative aspects about Him that result in enthusiastic, authentic, wholehearted worship all over again!  Just better every time, for all of eternity!  I actually began wondering how the elders got that assignment. Then I realized I have that assignment - every day, here on earth and throughout eternity.  I am so thankful - so blessed - so overwhelmed when I really think on it - and excited too!   

Lately, I've been waking up in the night thinking about this again.  God's revealing more about Himself in this time. Our lives - they are about oneness with God.  He's made us for Himself.  We, like the elders, get to live each moment in the wonder of seeing new things all the time about Him.  He wants us to know Him.  The most important thing we can ever examine is what we think about God.  It forms everything we do, say and are.  If we say we trust Him, but act in ways that do not fully confidently display that - can we truly say that we trust Him? Understanding, experiencing who God really is in and for us - it's the key to our growing into the image of Christ.

If I'm blessed to have crowns, they'll never be enough.  But, I began to wonder what crowns are really made of.  I talked with God about it and my initial impression is that they are the actions of faith in God walked out every day.  Some are great, some are small - but they are obedience to God and alignment with His Heart in all things - that is the priceless material that crowns are made of.  So much just about worship.  He is so worthy, I want to walk in alignment with Him, not because of crowns I'd earn, but because it so blesses His heart and blesses me too.  I love blessing His heart. His heart is my resting place and crown of eternal love and joy.

Worship

Dancing with abandon - that always reminds me of worship. The word "abandon" - that's a great word to focus on when worshipping God.  That's letting go of self and giving all to Him and not caring about anything else!  Doesn't He deserve our very best?  I mean, He paid every price so that we could be one with Him.  We can't get the magnitude of it - God actually wants to be one with us!  STOP - really really sit there with that a moment.  Beyond what He did to accomplish that, that one thing is the most amazing thought I'll ever have. I can't quite wrap my brain around it - completely unfathomable.  The love He has for us - words really show their limitations here.  He won't love us better when we manage to be better.  He won't ever stop loving us even if we never decide to come to Him.  Nothing we do or do not do will ever change His love, for us.  We can't earn it, can't deserve it - but He gives it without measure because that's just the way He is. THAT is immense.  He loves completely - no ifs, ands or buts about it.  There's no catch, no con, no fine print, no strings, no holds barred. His love is absolute, total, actual, all out, assured, categorical, certain, clear, complete, decisive, definite, downright, entire, explicit, final, flat out, full, genuine, indubitable, open, out-and-out, outright, plenary, positive, straight out, thorough, throughgoing, unconstrained, unequivocal, unlimited, unmistakable, unmitigated, unqualified, unquestionable, unreserved, unrestricted, utter, whole, wide - it's authentically Him.  I just fall down and cry my eyes out about that.  I want all that back to Him - only I know I'm not there in giving it.  He knows, it never fazes Him or His love. He's bringing His beloved into loving Him with His love.  We are becoming and yet already are.  He makes us able in Him and Him in us.   Only God can properly love God.  To be honored to be in the midst,  it's just unspeakably amazing.  Worship - adoring God in and from God - that's spirit and truth.  It's so much more than dancing or singing - it's BEING - solely for Him. 

Learning that, I'll never get tired of it.