Worship

The other day a question that is usually buried somewhere deep in my subconscious decided to pay the conscious part of my mind a visit. "Why am I in Africa?" That opened a floodgate of queries that were soon buzzing around my mind, each one broader and harder to answer. "Why am I anywhere?" "Why am I?" "Why?" You get the point.

What often happens when I am ambushed by a flurry of deep and probing questions, is that I try to think about it really, really hard. What always happens when I try to think about something really, really hard is that a random song will pop up into my head and conveniently block out all nagging questions about my existence and meaning. This time, however, the song served a purpose.

"Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that your my God" I had just sung it that Sunday, comforted by the familiar words and melody in a foreign country. But I hadn't really thought about it. Now I did. And the more I thought about it the more I realized that the statement "here I am to worship" is not just for a single moment. We can say that about every waking moment of our lives.

I was musing about all this while walking towards the endless Atlantic for a swim. (By the way, the endless Atlantic is a fine, fine place for musing.) Two of my friends were already in the water, abandoning themselves to the waves, letting God's nature pound into them and tumble them around. I felt God say, "That is worship." We can do the simplest and most mundane tasks in a Spirit of worship, and they are transformed into something that God takes joy in. What more can we ask for?

We don't need to be in a church, we don't need to feel the right 'emotions', to be worshiping God. When I made a batch of gingersnaps (thanks for the recipe Holly) that everyone could enjoy, that was an act of worship. When our hearts stops in awe of a sunset that can be an act of worship. When we hug someone that can be an act of worship. When we do something we don't even enjoy doing, but do it with a rejoincing heart, that is worship. We were created to glorify God.

Now here is the best part of it. "Whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me." I love Matthew 25:40, because as far as I understand it, when I am hugging someone in love, I AM HUGGING GOD!!!

That's why I am here in Africa. I'm here to worship God in everything I do. That's why I am anywhere. That's why I am.

Having satisfied my nagging subconcious I started belting out "Hear I Am To Worship" and ran into the endless Atlantic.