"Worship in the darkness" was a phrase shared by Bella Kauffman at The Connection's THRIVE Women's Conference this past October. It has been ruminating in my soul ever since. Whispers of its meaning keep surfacing.
What is worship? What does it really look like?
What or who gets the focus of my time, attention, and adoration? That is what or who I worship.
What takes residence in my heart of hearts?
Do the thoughts of my Master, my Savior, my Hope come first to mind?
Or is it....
- what I have to do next
- fear of failure
- bitterness for my circumstances
If I say I follow Jesus, then His words should matter to me. They should change me and bring me delight even in the darkness.
If I focus on the thing that brings me pain, discouragement, fear, or sorrow, then the enemy has won. I am not worshiping my Savior.
For the enemy would not expect us to worship in the midst of any of these. Satan's plan is to take all the attention from the One who gave us all. And he does it way too often through....
...illness
...death of a loved one
...church hurt
...estranged loved one
...divorce
...financial strain
...rebellious teen
But these things are meant to give us an opportunity to grow up, and more importantly, to point to the One who created us and the world we live in...the One who longs for relationship with us...the One who left his glorious heavenly home to be born in a smelly stable...the One who came to give His life for us....and the One who is coming again to rule as King of Kings!
But sometimes we get overwhelmed, and we lose sight of all of this. We look to friends for encouragement first...or food...or anything that numbs the pain of loneliness and hurt.
Satan lies, my friend. Satan destroys, my friend. He is the great deceiver.
In the gospel of John, Jesus warned the Pharisees that Satan wants to destroy us, to steal our joy, and to remove any possibility that a hard thing could cause us to worship our Savior and bring Him glory.
“The thief only comes to steal, and kill, and destroy, BUT I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Max Lucado, in his book, Christmas Collection, describes the heavenly war that takes place between the God of our universe and the prince of this earth.
Max describes the choice our heart must make. We are either for or against Christ. There is no in between.
Does my heart praise the Almighty God even in the midst of the hard things?
Max cheerleads us to not give into the enemy: "YOU MUST WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD!"
Christmas can be difficult for many of us. We may have empty chairs for several reasons. We may find ourselves wanting to get swallowed up in the abyss of loneliness and despair. But we must not give in or give up!
"Run!" And I mean run to the One who loved you first and loves you most. Encounter His love each time you open His Word.
"In everything give thanks!" In November I started a practice of writing down all the blessings of the day before I go to sleep. This is what I think about before sleep...all that God has done for me that day. The more I look, the more I see Him.
"Sing!" Turn His praises up. Fill the house and your car with words of praise.
"Serve!" Someone out there needs a smile or a word of encouragement. We are called to be light.
I say these things as a reminder to myself. These are things I am learning in my spiritual classroom. Sometimes I have to do my homework again because sometimes I forget or just refuse to do it.
Even if it’s a rainy, gloomy day, will you join me in worshiping in your dark corner? Together, we can make this a glorious day filled with His praises!
Barb Lange
Barb Lange, a recently retired paralegal and former schoolteacher, is a Chambersburg native and a graduate of Washington Bible College, where she studied Bible and music. She is a wife, mother of two adult children and “Grammie” to two adorable granddaughters. Music is a huge passion of Barb’s as she enjoys teaching piano, directing a homeschool teen choir in the Franklin County area, and playing piano for church each Sunday. Barb loves connecting with women of all ages, encouraging them to seek healthy relationships with God, in marriage and in their friendships. She shares her journey of a broken marriage on her Facebook ministry page called “Hope and Healing - Barb Lange.” She finds great joy in pointing women to El Roi, the God who sees them and who wants to redeem their story for His glory!
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