Friday, April 17th, 2009 "WOW!"

FUSION Devo: Friday, April 17^th, 2009
Title: WOW!
Text: Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Have you ever been to a concert or major sporting event? And as soon as you found out that you were going you began to feel this spark of anticipation kindling inside of you? You know what I’m talking. You begin to get so excited about the event and you start imagining how amazing and awesome the event is going to be. And day by day, as the event gets closer and closer your excitement grows more and more. Almost to point that you just get giddy with excitement every time you think about it because you just know in your heart that what is going to take place is even better than the images you have conjured up in your mind. I have been that situation before.

It was December 1988 and my best friend and I were on our way to our very first concert. Well, maybe it wasn’t my first concert, but I’m not going to count being dragged by my mom to a Kenny Rogers concert when I was 15 as real concert experience. For weeks my buddy Kristian and I had been over the top excited about this concert. We were on our way to see the hottest rock band of that time, Def Leopard, in the old Charlotte Coliseum, and we almost could not contain ourselves. Finally the day arrived and as we drove down Independence Blvd in Charlotte, and we caught a glimpse of the large silver dome, knowing that we were about to have our faces rocked off, the conversation inside my blue 1979 Chevy Chevette stopped. We were too excited to speak. Then as we entered the coliseum and found our seats I could almost feel my heart pounding outside of my chest. And I know I had the craziest smile on my face. I know this because the very nice stranger sitting beside told me so.

We just knew that it was going to be far more than a rock concert. We knew that it would be an experience that we would carry with us for the rest of our lives. Even now as I describe this event to you I get goose bumps and feel my heart beat a little quicker. We sat in eager anticipation of what would take place in that arena. And you know what? It was a remarkable night. The environment was electrifying, the music was deafening and the concert was totally amazing. And I can’t help but think that our attitude and mentality as we prepared to enter that environment helped make it more than a night of music being played, but instead a impactful night that has been burned into my brain. And all of this for a rock band.

But something confuses me about this type of experience. Why is it that we can become over-the-top excited about going to see our favorite band play live in concert, or watch our favorite team compete, but when it comes to having the opportunity to stand in the presence of God and worship God, we sometimes act as if we are bored or in some cases would rather be receiving a root canal? Think about this. God is the true “Famous One” who has created the heavens and the earth. God breathed life into creation, molded you and I in the palm of his hand, and even though God is the master of the universe, is all, knows all and is everywhere, still makes time to be personally involved in our individual lives and passionately in love with us. God knows you. Last time I checked, I feel pretty sure that Def Leopard, Coach K and David Crowder have no clue who “Steve Keaton” is. But God knows everything about me and you.

So why don’t we enter the presence of God with the excitement and with the eager anticipation that God is not only going to show up but blow our minds when he does? I can’t help but think that my concert experience when I was 18 years old we so amazing because I eagerly anticipated it to be amazing. I’m sure if I would have gone in with an “I’d rather be somewhere else” attitude I would have not had near the experience I did. And I know the same occurs when we don’t prepare our hearts, minds and souls for worshipping God. And when we do prepare ourselves what we will then experience will transcend our greatest expectations. Why? Because God is God!

Our worship of God is not all about us. I know that is hard to believe and our culture has taken on this attitude that worship is about us being fed, filled and entertained. But the fact is that worship is our time to thank God for all that God has done for us and show how much we appreciate the many blessings that have been given to us. However, when enter his gates with thanksgiving and are willing to praise God for all we have, our hearts can’t help but prepare us to be blessed and amazed as we stand in the presence of the Almighty.

Next time you enter a worship setting, I challenge you to take the time to pray for God to fill you with the Spirit and open you heart, mind and soul, and approach God with eager anticipation of what can and will take place. Then you will have the opportunity to experience something life-changing.

Something to Think About:

• What is your attitude when you go to worship?
• What are your expectations when you go to worship God?
• How can you better prepare yourself to experience the presence of God?
• Your attitude is contagious. How does your attitude affect those around you in a worship setting?
• How can God use you more to positively impact the worship environment?

A Few Minutes with God:

God, I pray that I will begin to understand exactly what worship is all about. I pray that I will truly understand that worship is about us showing and expressing our love and appreciate for all you have done for us, instead of entering the setting with of attitude of needing to be entertained. I know if I open my heart and mind that you will show up in a mighty way and truly amaze me. And through that experience I will grow in my understanding of how I can impact this world for you. Amen.