As God worshippers, God calls each of us to worship Him and only Him. As we go about this worship, the Bible clearly lines out certain forms of worship, not only as suggestions, but as commands.
Part 3 – Be Still Before Him
Ecclesiastes 5:2, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” Verse 7, “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.”
How many times do we flippantly walk in to a worship service and begin singing or praying with little thought beforehand. Wouldn’t the church be much better if people came to bring their offereings, to give thanks, to celebrate God’s faithfulness, to praise Him for His provision … and pretty much forget about everything else? I want to be a part of a church that comes ready to meet with God.
None of this happens without stillness and quietness of soul. Our world is loud. TV, Internet, radio, iPods, traffic, cell phones, Muzak, intercoms, and the list goes on. The constant volume of nothingness pushes us farther and farther from people. The sounds (noise) become a barrier or wall between us and our surroundings.
We don’t really know how to be quiet. But how do we expect to hear anything from God in all the noise? When was the last time you quieted your world and just stood in awe of God?
It’s awkward to lead a group of people in a time of silence. When you’re up front, you can feel the waves of worry come over you – How long should this go? Don’t sneeze. I must look dumb just standing here … I guess sometimes in church we don’t even know how to slow down and listen. Our services and Christian events are always filled with noise. We’re afraid of dead space in the program. We’re afraid of silence.
Our silence before God should be intentional.
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” — Ecclesiastes 5:2.
Verse 7, “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.”
« Read Part 2: Bow Down
to be continued with Part 4 …
portions of this article taken from “The Way I Was Made” by Chris Tomlin
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