Raw Response

what if you didn't care about anything during a worship service? imagine you're at church or wherever, and it's that time. the bands gets on stage, lights go dim. but take away the people around you, the band, lights, and put just you there, and your realization of who God is. would you worship differently? would your response to God be more real? more raw? that's for you to decide, but sometimes i wonder if people, including myself, would be different in a setting where nothing else mattered.

we have this image in our heads of what worship is. it's good music with words that provoke thoughts about God. or a time to meditate. and that's a good thing. prayer, music, meditation, scripture- all great things during a worship service.

but if worship is our raw response to God, the possibilities are endless.

but first, in order to respond to something, we must know what it is. so responding to God could be a number of different things. overall, it's a lifestyle. maybe your response for God's heart for the world is to go on a mission trip and share Christ's love with people who have not experienced it yet. or it could be the way you treat people. the way you spend your money. why you have the morals and values you have. maybe it's your daily time with God. during the worship service. the way you do your job to your best ability. these are all just practical ways we respond to God with the way we live. the list could go on and on, big things and small things. i'm just wondering if we've found that response, specifically in a corporate setting. i wonder if we could respond to God without any music. that would be interesting. possible? i really think so. effective? not sure. i'm not sure because of what we are trained to do. we are trained to sing, close our eyes maybe. i would love to see people literally floored because that is all they can do in light of who they are and who God is. that is their physical response at that given moment. or clapping, dancing...whatever. these actions are mostly associated with the charismatic mindset, but you can't argue that it's not a biblical response. david dance in a stinking leotard for crying out loud. that's intense. i'm not recommending that, especially if you're not in shape, but just think about it. and the book of psalms talks about clapping, the use of instruments, shouting for joy. what kind of joy could provoke actions like that? what kind of power can floor us? what kind of friendship could be so intimate? what kind of love would die to save a sinner?

i always think about people in africa or china. different cultures of the world who have completely different worship styles. it's an amazing thing to see people who have nothing, but are full of so much joy and in love with God, worship. because they don't care. it's great. it doesn't matter what they sound like, they sing loud. they clap. bang on random objects. dance. raise their hands. get on their face. it's their response. and it's genuine. it's not a show. i love that.

i feel like sometimes we put God in a box and create a setting that only allows certain responses. to respond with all you are means to worship with all you are, whether that means living your life to the fullest for God's glory, loving people, working, or a 30 minute worship service. i'm not really saying we should go out and act all crazy or something, just that our response to God should be real and true. whatever that response might look like. just something to think about.