Overcoming TimidityНамуна

Timidity in Worship

The idea for this devotional came from a realization that maybe I’m too timid in worship. Now, before you label me as a lukewarm Christian, hear me out. I stand 6’1. I’m obviously not tall enough to play in the NBA, but I’m a pretty tall dude. The way I used to worship when I was alone would look different than when I was in church because of my height. Jesus showed me that my height wasn’t the problem, my mind was.

Somehow, I had conceived this thought that if I was to worship freely, with my arms outstretched and hands pointed to the sky, the person behind me couldn’t see the worship team. I made myself believe that I could be a distraction. I believed that I could actually be the reason that the person behind me couldn’t experience the presence of God. Boy, was I wrong.

We serve a God that asks for simple requests. In this moment, God wasn’t asking me to be timid in my worship, He was asking me to be obedient. He was asking me to be real with Him. Sometimes we get so caught up in the “rights” and “wrongs” of Christianity that we start to doubt God’s ability. 

I was quickly reminded of the distractions in my life before I gave my life to God. I remembered that those distractions didn’t stop my God from rescuing me. To think that I have the power to stop the presence of God is almost comical. Think about your worship. How many times have you held back from God’s presence because you chose not to worship freely? 

We bring new friends to church and don’t want to be “too spiritual” for their first visit. Maybe you get caught up in that “church cool” and you don’t want to look lame for worshiping freely. It doesn’t matter if you’re too tall, can’t sing, can't dance, or are afraid of looking crazy. Don’t miss out on the presence of God! He desires you exactly the way you are. Worship freely, courageously, and willingly. 

Focus: Spend some time worshiping freely today! Put on some worship music, close your eyes, and picture yourself being in the presence of our savior, Jesus! If that moves you to sing, sing joyfully! If that moves you to dance, dance courageously! If that calls you to be still before the Lord, then boldly stay firm in His presence.