Worship Wednesday: A Worship Breakthrough!

As usual, I am a little late with this post. Wednesdays are pretty busy for me as I work on finalizing the order of service for the week, preparing for choir practice, and then leading choir practice. Yesterday, was a particularly busy Wednesday. I am in the middle of making some really exciting changes to our worship service, so I had to spend a little more time and energy preparing and practicing this week.

I could really use some prayers as I implement these changes. I know that I am following the Holy Spirit's guidance in this matter, but when we are obedient, Satan tends to take offense and stir up trouble. However, I do not intend to let him stop me, so help me pray that the changes will be well received and that God would give me the strength to hold up against any attack!

My goal for the worship service at our church is to transform it from a rigid religious practice or routine, into a sincere expression of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. I want our congregation to feel the freedom of opening up to God and offering Him their honest praise and cries of surrender. I want them to be able to hear the voice of the Lord, and to taste and see His goodness. I want them to feel His comfort, to recognize His power, and to be changed by the knowledge of His love! I want our church, as a small portion of the world wide Body of Christ, to break through the walls that surround us and find the freedom to worship "in spirit and in truth." (John 4: 15-25)

I am so excited about this Sunday!! In rehearsal yesterday, I could feel change in the air! I personally felt a new freedom and passion in my soul for worshipping our One and Only God, our Creator, our Saviour...the Lord of All! I am praying that this breakthrough of mine is contagious!

I actually began to feel this worship breakthrough on Sunday afternoon. As Mr. The King and I were surfing the net for videos to use for our Student Worship, we came across the following video, and it confirmed in my heart that the changes I felt needed to be made were indeed the Lord's will.

This Sunday our Pastor is going to be preaching on this passage of scripture:

Psalm 34:1-4 NASB

¹ I will praise the Lord at all times.
      I will constantly speak his praises.
 ² I will boast only in the Lord;
      let all who are helpless take heart. ³ Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
      let us exalt his name together.  ⁴ I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
      He freed me from all my fears. ⁵ Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
      no shadow of shame will darken their faces. ⁶ In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
      he saved me from all my troubles. ⁷ For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
      he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
 ⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good.
      Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

I was so excited when I learned that this passage will be the sermon theme for Sunday. You see, there was a day recently when I was having a really difficult time. I was very down; I was stressed and discouraged beyond comprehension. That day, I cried out to the Lord in desperation, asking Him to speak to me. I needed to hear from Him so badly, and I felt like He had been silent for too long! Then, I picked up my Bible, and it fell open to this passage of scripture in Psalm 34. The moment I read those words, my heart was overwhelmed with comfort and encouragement. All I could do was cry tears of joy, because I knew that the Lord had answered my cry!

Our God knows just what we need, and He wants us to turn to Him in our time of need! It is a breakthrough moment in our hearts when we realize that He is the only one who has the answers and the only one who can make our lives worthwhile. Crying out to Him is often the most beautiful expression of praise that we can offer. 

We sing this song a lot in our Student Worship, because I love the message and it is one of our student's favorites (*My little Emma bear!* Please excuse my burst of sentimentalism :-)). However, Mr. The King has never been a fan of this song. You see, I have a different perspective on the lyrics than he does. I believe that this song is saying that God would rather hear our cries of desperation, realizing that He is our only hope, than to hear us offering empty praise to Him on Sundays! That is why I feel that we need a worship breakthrough, and that is why I can't wait to share what God does in our service on Sunday!

I am expecting a move of God...

I am expecting a worship breakthrough!