Devotions from Matt Redman – 10,000 ReasonsSample

Here for You

“We welcome You with praise, we welcome You with praise. Almighty God of love, be welcome in this place.”

Our songs of praise aim to do so many things. They announce the glory of who God is. They draw us into mystery and wonder. They provide words for thanks and adoration. They provide space for reflection and meditation. But another dynamic that occurs when we worship God together is that we welcome Him with our praise. We bow our hearts and ask that He might be ushered in among us to take His rightful place, in the center of all that’s occurring. We sing to God, we reply to who He is and shout our hearts out about all that He’s done. But there’s another element of worship that we must never forget-encounter. We must come together with an expectancy to meet with God and experience His goodness and greatness among us. The book of James in the New Testament tells us of this encounter dynamic that takes place in the Christian life:

“Come near to God and He will come near to You” (James 4:8)

There is movement in worship. It’s not a static or stagnant even. There is activity and motion all over the place-and the most special motion of all is the movement of Almighty God towards us. This is true for our gathered worship- for we are the people of God, in the presence of God, pouring out the praises of God. But it is also true for your life, right now. If you will draw near to God, even in this moment, He is ready and waiting to meet you. You may be walking closely with Jesus, or you may feel like you are a million miles from Him. But if you will take a step in the right direction today, the Almighty God has promised to draw near.