Freedom In Worship

Today on my Facebook page, I clicked on the “Message From God” app and this is what it said:

“On this day of your life, Pam, we believe God wants you to know ... that there are many ways to climb a mountain.  There are many ways to worship God. There are many ways to live a life. Allow each person to choose their own path.”

This is what inspired this post.  Hopefully, God can speak to you through the words He put on my heart today.

 

Freedom applies to many areas of our lives.  As a follower of Christ I have just begun to taste that freedom in so many ways and the place I feel we should have the most freedom is within the building where we meet with our brothers and sisters in Christ; at “church”. For most of my life I have felt I wasn’t at all free there. Until recently I’ve gone to churches where the general attitude was you stood when asked by the music minister and you sang, (but not too loud, unless you were in the “choir”) and then you sat down again.  Ok, I’m good with the beginning and end because there needs to be some order, but the middle of that has always troubled me.  You see, according to the Myers-Briggs instrument, I prefer ENFP which means that my personality leans “Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.  In other words, I’m an “Otter”.  So, when I am giving praise and worshiping God it’s not going to look like my husband’s style, which is my complete opposite, and probably not yours either.  But I have a secret……it’s totally fine! We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God but we were also made differently! So we aren’t supposed to all do the same thing (that would be too cultish).  We have our God-given free will and our very own personalities and God loves each and every one of us and each and every type of praise and worship as long as we are giving it to HIM!  You see, my worship and praise isn’t for you so you don’t have to worry about it! 

To those churches and people who give disapproving looks, make comments or make disapproving noises when I raise my hands to my Lord, sway back and forth or maybe even, dare I say “dance” during a song I now say, “I AM FREE to do this and I will not judge you or condemn you for your worship style!” Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let’s agree that our Creator made us differently and we should all express our love, praise and worship for him in the way HE fashioned us, not the way we fallible human beings decide we should!  Don’t hear what I am not saying (as my son tells me), if your style is to quietly sing, meditate and just be still; Praise God, I won’t think anything of it or judge you for it.

While I was in those churches growing up and until recently, I felt Satan pinning my hands to my sides and completely distracting me from being able to praise, worship or even concentrate on God.  That, my dear ones is not any kind of freedom in Christ!  For me, it is just like being chained, bound and gagged while someone is screaming in my ear some awful noise!  But I’m not chained, bound, or gagged any longer and when Satan tries screaming in my ear I say, “You have no control over me any longer, in the name of Jesus Christ you must leave!”  And then I continue to praise and worship God the way he made me, the ENFP the Otter, because I AM SET FREE!

Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!

Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!

Psalm 95:1 (MSG)

Ecclesiastes says, “There’s a time for everything on earth….There is a time to cry. And there’s a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. And there’s a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3)