I Do Not Feel The Lord
During worship I did not feel the Lord. All were shouting, praising, worshiping, each in his own way, and some even in silent prayer. I lifted my hands. I did not feel the Lord. I wondered how this all sounded to God. Was it beautiful to His ears? I raised my voice. I did not feel the Lord. I loved His and told Him so. But I did not feel Him. I will not fake it, I thought. I will raise my hands. I will raise my voice. But I will not pretend to feel something I do not feel. But as I go through the motions perchance His anointing will fall and I will feel Him. But I did not feel the Lord. I was so aware of those around me. I wondered if there were others like me who did not feel the Lord. I suddenly felt alone with my thoughts. Alone with my hands lifted up. Alone with my voice resounding praises. Alone. Then suddenly I understood. My brothers and sister in the Lord were all around me but I had isolated myself as I worshiped the Lord. And I realized that all I needed to do was join in with the rest of the family. And I began to blend my voice WITH their voices. My hands reached upwards in worship WITH theirs. And I became ONE with them. And suddenly He was there. He had been there all the time. In my brothers and sisters. And He was in me. I could feel Him all around me and within me. I could feel His anointing as He dwelt in the midst of the praises of His people. When we are worshipping with the body of the Lord we need to do so in one accord. By allowing my mind to wander off on its own I was failing to recognize the rest of the body. All I needed to do to get connected with the rest of the body was to blend my voice WITH theirs. Its as though the Lord was saying, “I do not hear a multitude of voices. I hear ONE voice. I do not see many hands. I see ONE hand. My body has many members but it is ONE body. My people must learn to move as one. They must learn to speak as one.“ This puts a new whole light on my responsibility in worship. Was it tradition that taught me I needed to feel something when I worshipped the Lord? Was the worship for me or was it for Him? If it is for Him then why did I think I needed to feel something? Oh I know many churches worship in different ways and many do not look to feelings at all. But God is alive and I think He wants His body to be alive. I think He wants you to be alive in whatever way makes you comfortable as you worship Him.