by Candace Cortez
One of my favorite things about God is that He never runs
out of ideas. Looking at the faces of people as they pass by me in a store or
on a street, I am amazed that God has it in Him to design, create, mold, each
set of eyes, each different shaped head, and each heart full of layers we can’t
fully grasp even within ourselves. God is a wonderous creator. In the unique
way we were created, I believe each believer has a specific gifting that
delights God when it is used in worship. I believe there is a way that I can worship
Him, that nobody else can, and it is delightful to God, while simultaneously I
can sing with the angels who will sing “Holy Holy Holy” for eternity. I believe
God hears and loves all of those voices. I believe you have something to give
to Him that is different, specific, and a sweet aroma to Him. The thing that
unifies us, believer and non-believer, is that we were made to glorify Him.
Even though I know and believe all of that, after following
the Lord for a while, it’s possible to find yourself in a spiritual rut.
Numerous times, I have experienced a distance from God’s perceivable presence,
even though I was doing all of my normal prayer, worship, and Bible reading
times. This always brings at least an eyelash worth of doubt: is this all real?
Is God there? Does it matter?
This morning I read the story of King David in the Bible, in
2 Samuel 6, when the ark of the Lord was on the way back into the City of
David. David was so thrilled to have the presence of God back in his camp that
he worshiped, danced, praised until his robes fell off. There was no other time
in scripture that describes David’s worship exactly like this. There were times
he sang, there were recorded times of playing instruments. There were examples
of obedience and times of humbled repentance. I believe this dance is an
example of how David kept it wild. He did not allow his worship style, habits,
or timing to be solely dictated by past experiences, present pressures, or
hopes for his own advancement. The recorded nature of David’s praise to God is
dynamic, mirroring the dynamics of God Himself.
God has it in Him to listen to the same song on repeat by
the angels and make billions upon billions of different faces and spirits. Yes,
sing the songs you know and love, but also, take time to intentionally breathe
creativity into the ways, postures, and places you give honor and praise to the
Lord. Keep it wild! This will not only add some fun to your walk with the Lord,
but you will also keep from getting too deep in the rut. Staying out of the rut
will combat the doubts and lies of the enemy that sneak in during distant
times.
I’m not an expert, but here are some ways to switch it up,
if your creative worship wheels are rutted too deep to
begin.
- Read the Bible outside (Preferably with a view! Hello, mountains! God likes long walks on the beach.) to give a backdrop to the One who made it all.
- Gather a few friends and sing some songs, pray for each other, and ask some of the more challenging faith questions you’ve had rolling around in your heart.
- Turn off your phone! Spend a crazy amount of time listening, reading, and writing the things God does when the distraction count is significantly lower.
- Go to a store with a monetary gift, and pray for someone to bless in Jesus name.
- Write down your personal testimony. Sometimes we need to think about all the things God has done and actually write those things down!
- Make something! Anything! God is an artist and likes when we act like Him. This can be a blanket, a painting, a cake, or a plan.
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