Connecting to God in Worship Is Exciting, Dynamic, and Life-Giving

(Portrait I saw growing up in my parent's living room and that now hangs in my living room.)

            In 2 Samuel 6:12, after David realizes that Obed-Edom was benefitting greatly due to God's presence in his home, he went and got the Ark of the Covenant for himself. His reconnaissance mission was spectacular. He took off his royal clothes and danced (in priestly underwear) with all of his might while sacrificing thousands, and maybe even millions of dollars worth of cattle as offerings to God. Every Israelite was given a loaf of bread as well as cakes of dates and raisins. It was a true celebration. Worship is fun.

            There was a woman who poured out an expensive vial of perfume worth a year's wage over Jesus as she washed his feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50). The onlookers were publicly aghast at this waste of money and this inappropriate gesture of love and affection. Yet the greatest sign of radical affection was when Jesus, the lamb of God himself, offered his own body to be mutilated and crucified for the sin and brokenness of humankind. This act of love is still for many of us difficult to fully understand.

            King David's dancing before the ark was an expression of passion, gratitude and excitement before the one he saw as his King. His passion for the presence of God can be seen throughout the song's he wrote when he said things such as:

            "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out  for the living God; Better is one day in your court than a thousand elsewhere;    (Psalm 84:2, 10a).

            One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of  the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (27:4).

            David's level of passion for God's presence eclipses all other successes he achieved in life. David was a statesman, a general, a billionaire, an author, a prophet, a father, yet none of these compared to being in the presence of God. Being in God's presence was his ultimate reason for living. It is also our own.

            Michal, his wife, had grown up as the daughter of a king and was ashamed of seeing David expose himself to the common people in such an undistinguished manner. She cared more about people's opinions than pleasing God. "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety" (Prov. 29:25).

            David had found great freedom in expressing his love for God, yet Michal was imprisoned to pleasing men and women. She died as a barren woman. Breaking off the chains of fear of "what will people think of me" is one of the many benefits of connecting to God.

            The Apostle Paul writes, " The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your    adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba,[Papa] Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" (Romans 8:15-16).

            Everyone is searching for true freedom, safety and significance and the best place we can find that is in God's presence.  There, all fear is gone (1 John 4:18, 19). We can come to him just as we are.  

            Jesus tells a story where a father welcomes a son home after that son had rejected him and wasted all of his inheritance on wild living (Luke 15). His Father did not condemn him, but he embraced him. He gave him his best clothes, ring, shoes, and even slaughtered a fattened calf to have a party. This is a picture of how rewarding it can be to connect to God in worship. We actually are able tap into the unlimited resources of heaven. We can receive new strength, identity, protection, wisdom, guidance, life, etc....

            It is an adventure and even thrilling to connect to the presence of God. The reason David so passionately could dance before God's presence is because he saw how passionately God loved him.  When God's passion for us touches our hearts, we cannot help but to passionately love him back.

            The word passion does not simply mean a strong or powerful emotion. It also means suffering. God's passion for us was so great that he allowed his son Jesus to be tortured in our place. Jesus took our sin, pain, brokeness and suffering upon himself so we could be free, whole, and secure. If you ever wonder if God loves you, think of Jesus stretching out his arms and being crucified because he loves you. He gave up the privileges of heaven so that we could experience heaven on earth.     

            Worship is a dynamic relationship. It is an exchange where we give God our everything (life, hearts, time, money, thoughts, etc.) and he gives us back his time, thoughts, heart, and so much more. There is nothing more practical, useful, and even fun than connecting to God in worship. As C.S. Lewis once said, "“In the Christian faith God is not something static…but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, a kind of drama. Or, with respect, almost a kind of dance.” Have fun connecting in worship with God. Enjoy the dance.