I’ve had some trouble getting this post together. I’ve thought about this subject for several weeks. I’ve had to think about how to present it because the terminology that I use can be taken and stretched or skewed and pointed back and put to me in the form of another question. I’m going to try to head all of that off before I get into my main point.
Worship
Let me start by showing you that word “worship.” When I use that word in this post I am using it to mean that special time that I set aside on Sundays to pay special honor to God and to my savior Jesus, for what they have done for me. A time where I don’t have to worry about the world and can be surrounded by my brothers and sisters who are there to hopefully do the same thing that I am. We meet together to lift one another up, to praise God, to focus on Him and to please him as a family.
Today when someone says I’m going to worship there are all kinds of questions such as “Is that a special time or a way of life? Is that something you do or how we live?” kind of questions thrown at us and I understand where you are coming from. So I have done some quick research prior to writing this and found that worship as it’s used in the Bible, was used in a “special moment” kind of situation. Having said that, I do also think that it is a way of life.
Prayer
No gotchas there. Prayer is what it is. I define it in this post as a time to hold an in depth, serious, talk with God. Where I am still and focused and intent on listening and speaking to him.
I do pray throughout the day, several times. I will often talk to God but I may not necessarily stop what I’m doing to have a conversation with him. The same as I may be talking to you while fishing. I may not stop casting the line while I’m talking to you, but I’m still having this conversation with you. Same with God. I’m going about my daily routine at the same time praying, having conversation, with God. It’s part of how I build my relationship with him.
The World
The world is everything outside of the doors where we are worshipping. It’s the thing that I finally get a reprieve from while I am at worship. It’s the thing that I have had to be conscience of that has been berating me and tempting me and beating me down the entire week until worship time.
The Loose Ends
Let me see if I can tie these together the way that I wanted to.
In our worship services we have set aside special times of prayer. During each of those times there is one who stands before the family to lead the prayer to keep it in some form of order. The church in attendance doesn’t have to pray the prayer that this leader is praying and it’s sometimes a great thing this is so.
I don’t want you to think that I have no concerns for the world when these next few lines scroll across your eyes. I do think there is a time to pray for the world, for the politicians, for the economy for all the mess that is outside of our doors, the world. When I am worshipping though, I really don’t think that is the time that I want to pray for the world.
I really am not a big fan of the political prayers because nine times out of 10, my politics and your politics aren’t in agreement so I’m going to counter your prayer with one of my own. I heard someone call this a prayer block, similar to a shot block in basketball.
I think when we are gathered together as a family in worship that our prayers need to be for our family and family related. For our hearts, our souls, our strength, our minds. For our relationships.
For this one hour in worship, let the world take care of it’s own.
Just my opinion
Because of HIM
SC
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