Divine Moments

I like the affirmation of the Psalmist in Ps. 92:1 - “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High”. Or 66:2 - “Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.” As John Wesley wrote: “Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing God more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.” Other Psalms call for timbrels, cymbals, and dancing. The Bible also describes worshipers as lifting holy hands and lying prostrate. Ps. 22:3 teaches that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people. Speaking of divine moments – when we praise God, He dwells with us! The place of worship then becomes holy ground. Come ready to praise.

Secondly, COME HAVING ALREADY PRAYED. Worship is not about us – it’s about God. It only makes sense, then, to PUT WORSHIP IN GOD’S HANDS. Prayer is really like the choke of a car - it simply opens up the passageway for more and greater conversation with God, and leads us into times of silence so we can listen to God. Praying causes us to look into God’s face. And there we see His sovereignty, His grace, His power, His majesty, His love, and His willingness to do far more than we could ever ask or think. That’s why Ephesians contains so much prayer language - as Paul wrote of the great plan of God by which we are saved - how God chose us, adopted us, blessed us, redeemed us, forgave us and lavished gifts upon us - he could not help but break into praise. The same thing happened when he wrote the church at Rome - he wrote extensively of God’s plan of salvation and finally, overwhelmed, burst out: “Oh, the depths and the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Prayer puts worship in God’s hands and leads us to the face of God, which leads us to greater praise!

But prayer also STRENGTHENS AND PREPARES THE LEADERS. As you pray for those of us who lead worship – from the planners, to the tech people, to the musicians, to the pastors, to the ushers and greeters – you lead us to the face of God and prompt His Spirit to fill and anoint us. It takes worship out of our hands and places it in God’s hands. And if worship is in God’s hands, blessings will abound and divine moments will occur. Divine moments are generated with your prayers. Come to worship having already prayed – for if what we do is not of the Spirit of God, nothing else matters; and if what we do is of the Spirit of God then nothing else matters.