This morning, at worship service, God was present. It was a cool thing–not rare, by any means. He shows up anywhere He’s invited. But I suspect that God delivers to us, as a result of our struggles, an attitude that leaves us no choice but to be more sensitive to His spirit. I can’t help but compare my current understanding of God with my former understanding of His presence.
Where I come from, God’s “thereness” always had to be a big and dramatic thing. A crazy event would happen during a haphazardly planned worship meeting that left a person on an emotinal high. Excited. Ready to exercise undying faith in some way, shape, or form. Don’t misunderstand me, please: I do believe that God works through many of those big and dramatical displays. Of late, though, I have gained much more from those quiet and personal showing-ups of God.
I was chatting with a dear friend of mine, today, about God showing up–His presence in our worship service at my church. We were discussing the beauty of the songs and scripture and the unique (to us) layout of their intermingling. I absolutely love that our pastor and his pose produce a rough outline for the order of the service, yet still invites our Savior in so we may worship Him and so He may, in turn, change and redirect our lives. As a kid, I never knew that organization could actually foster an atmosphere where God shows up and moves in our hearts. I’d experienced very few quiet, life-altering moments with my savior. There were quite a few cool and dramatic experiences, but most of them weren’t experiences that stuck with me. I remember very few of them with the detail that I remember the God of my quiet times. I’ve learned that He doesn’t always have to be a mighty, rushing wind. And the still and small voice hushes the loudest cries of fear, anxiety, and pain. See this entry.