When Worship Exceeds Your Expectations

I don't know about you, but sometimes "church"can be rote and routine. I try to engage in worship with all my heart and soul and be intentional every Sunday, but sometimes I just miss the mark. Usually because I didn't sleep well the night before, I have other things that are grabbing my attention or perhaps I just didn't prepare my heart before going. But then there are those times where you and God just connect in a powerful way and you are just blown away in the worship experience.


Yesterday,was that kind of day for me. Most of you know that it has been a most difficult week in the Springs with the Black Forest Fire. Our Worship Minister, Matt Elliott, did a great job of picking songs to remind us all that God is in control and has us in the palm of His hand. One song in particular just grabs my heart every time I sing it. It is called Forever Reign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3sNiYpuF4

The chorus says: Oh, I'm running to your arms, I'm running to Your arms,

The riches of Your love, will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace, Light of the world forever reign.


Yesterday, it was just easy to see God holding out His arms and me running to His chest and just letting Him embrace me and swallow me in His love. I landed in His lap and just did not want to leave.


Before services yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit with a sweet sister, who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was sharing with me that she was going to have to start chemotherapy because her cancer is a rare kind and shared the details with a smile on her face, a positive fighting spirit and total hope that God was going to bring her through this. Then during our public reading of scripture there she was with her husband reading the following verses:

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings,because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Amy's husband Joe read the Ephesians passage and the entire time Amy would look at him and smile and then look at all of us and smile and then she read the Philippians passage with all confidence and filled with love. And I lost it. It was just such a great moment of faith and a true testimony of what trials look like when we are confident that we are in the palm of God's hands.


We had a guest speaker yesterday as our minister was out of town. While Skip is one of our newer members, I did not really know him and did not know what to expect. He did an awesome job in talking to us about Jesus being our Prince of Peace and how that looks in every day life. He had a great story of a child seeing a butterfly struggling to come out of a chrysalis and so the child opened up the chrysalis thinking he was helping and not knowing it was the struggling against the shell that causes the butterfly to get the strength in his wings, so then the butterfly just laid there and was not able to fly. His point being that it is during the difficult times that we are strengthened to withstand what this life throws at us.


We ended the service with the old classic "It Is Well With My Soul". Once again such a great reminder that when we place ourselves in God's hands, there is always a peace that passes understanding. I am so very thankful for the powerful way God reminded me of that yesterday and the sweet encounter that He and I had. I had to put it here in my blog because sometimes I need a good reminder on those days I let other things get in the way and blind me to this truth. Father God, may that not happen for a long time. May I just savor the sweetness of yesterday as long as possible. I thank you for Your love and care for me. Lord Jesus I thank You for being the Prince of Peace!