There are multiple ways to say, “I love you.” I try to be creative in how I convey love to my wife because, well, I’m a hipster. I could just say, “I love you,” but I feel like that’s too boring. You’ve gotta spice it up! There are so many other creative ways to tell her how much she means to me.
Now I may be a crazy hipster, but my wife isn’t. She’s a classy lady. She enjoys the finer things of life, like Frank Sinatra and Pride and Prejudice. As such, she’s perfectly content with the words, “I love you.” She says this to me multiple times a day, everyday, and LOVES (no pun intended) when I tell her, “I love you,” using those exact words.
My wife doesn’t really care for eloquent words. She appreciates them, for sure, but when I want to convey my love for her, saying “I love you” is one of the best ways I can show her that I care. In a way, she defines how I show her my love and appreciation. It doesn’t matter how I think or feel she should be shown love; how she receives and defines love is what really matters.
I’ve found that a similar concept applies to how we approach God in worship. Capt. Hook and I were recently discussing how God defines the ways we approach Him in worship. We see this truth affirmed in the Bible though the lives of His people. There are many different stories in which God defines how to approach Him. He has invited us to approach Him with meekness and humility, as seen when He instructed Moses to take off his sandals in His presence (Exodus 3:1-5). He has called us to approach Him just as we are, as seen when Jesus invited people to bring their cares and burdens to Him (Matthew 11:25-29). He commanded us to approach Him with thanksgiving, as seen in Psalm 100:1-4. In any approach, God receives reverence and holiness by defining how we approach Him.
We should carry this same mindset into our worship experiences. At Resonate, we’ve made it a habit to intentionally start our services in silent reflection. Why? Because we don’t want to rush into anything. The songs we sing, the words we say and the things we do are all done in worship to a living God who deserves our praise and adoration. He created us to worship so we take time to reflect on the state of our hearts and fully surrender ourselves to Him. That’s what He’s called us to do (Isaiah 43:6-7, Romans 11:33-36).
In our past few times of silent reflection, we’ve been able to reflect on the holiness and worthiness of God. We’ve had the opportunity to see beyond our present circumstances and realize that His presence is not dependent on how we feel, because He’s always with us (Deuteronomy 31:8).
This week, we’re going to approach Him in thanksgiving. What we’re able to accomplish when starting in silent reflection, we are also able to accomplish starting in thanksgiving; that is, loving Him through our worship. In whatever way we approach Him, in accordance to His Word, He can and does receive the full glory.
Temitope 