Tsunamis of Worship

                Worship is the place of connection with God.  Many times, we equate worship to the praise and worship times of church or the times we might be singing praise songs in the car.  But we connect with God in so many different ways and it might not be a time of singing and praising.  During our times of distress, loneliness and even frustration can be catalysts for connecting with God.  If during these times we call upon Him as our ever-present help in trouble, we will connect with Him.  This draws a different picture of worship for us.  Anytime, good or bad, blessings or curses, chaos or peace, we can worship Him if we allow the deepest part of us to cry out to Him.  He teaches us that if we seek Him with our whole heart, He will be found by us.  

                This connection is easily seen in David’s Psalm as He cries out to God in a dark time of his life.  Even as he feels that God has forgotten him, David understands that restoration and comfort can only be found in the presence of God.  There is no point in calling upon any other.  I see David on his knees weeping in sorrow, overwhelmed by his circumstances.  He could choose to be angry or he could choose to just give up.  But David chooses well:

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me?

Psalms 42:7-9 (NIV)

                This past Sunday, I shared that the word ‘deep’ as David used it above means a surge of water from the deep.  It’s a tsunami where the crust of the Earth shifts, pushing the deep waters to the top, even overwhelming the surface creating waves that overwhelm and overtake.  Because God so much wants to connect with us, He allows these tsunamis of life to shift and crush our hearts to push the deepest part of who we are to the top, even overwhelming the surface so that we might reach high for the Lord, with all of our heart.  

                Some of these tsunamis are overwhelming blessings.  Other times, as with David, these are dark times of hardship and struggle.  But if we will train our hearts, even in the dark times we will cry out to Him.  Our pain will surge forth into the loving arms of Jesus, and we will receive from the source of life.  May the Lord shift the hard parts of your heart and move you to worship Him.