Forward Worship. (or the Commodity of Happiness)

If there’s one treasure in life people will spend their time, energy, resources, and ultimately themselves trying to find … that commodity is happiness. Being happy just seems to make living easier. It’s pretty easy to love when you’re feeling happy.  I guess it’s just easier to smile and hug and do all the crap that goes along with being affectionate and giving adoration when you’re feeling great. Happiness colors our perspective and flavors our language.  It’s a motivator and energizer.  The world seems a little more alive when we’re happy, and sometimes we let ourselves thing we’re a little bit more valuable when we’re carrying the precious cargo of happiness. It’s easy to worship out of the context of happiness.  As a believer, I’m normally humble enough to recognize that that blessings that come in my life may be there as a result of my obedience, but that I am not orchestrator of these good things.  After all, all good gifts do originate in the Father.  This precious commodity, happiness, focuses my attention of the greatness of Jesus and normally results in a posture of praise. But there are days when I’m not happy. There are seasons in life when I wake up in the morning with the glass already half-empty.  Then it seems that on those days, I find a way to knock the cup over when I’m getting out of bed.  Things don’t get better for no apparent reason and my melancholy gains a momentum of it’s own. There are times when I just feel uneasy, times when I feel lost, and some times when I just feel broken.  Maybe I’m just lost in a dream that there’s more to life than what I’ve know or experienced.  Maybe I’m just sad.   Whatever’s going on with me in those moments, sadness becomes the prevalent perspective.  It’s like wearing a coat that’s too heavy and a hat that’s too tight. Worship is difficult when we’re not happy. Sometimes we need to worship forward.  A forward perspective in worship knows that we’re all pretty much broken and in need of Jesus.  It knows that our current circumstances leave a lot to be desired, but that all good and perfect gifts do, indeed, come from the Father. Some times we need to be reminded that we haven’t got it all figured out & that we have not arrived.  Some times we need to long for our rightful place in unbroken fellowship with Jesus.  Some times we need that. I’m living through one of those seasons right now, for no particular reason. This week, I’ve been challenged to lavish my affection upon Jesus for the simple reason that He is the only obsession I could have that will leave me full.  It’s so easy to forget that and then allow ourselves to elevate other good things to an obsession.  Those good things (our kids, our marriage, our carriers, etc) are good in the right perspective and with the right sense of priority attached to them.  When they become our obsession, though, they will leave us empty and broken. So, this Sunday as I get to lead our church in worship, it will be with a forward perspective, obsessing over and longing for Jesus. ————————————————————————————- Worship for Sunday, November 8, 2009 Worship Leader: Kevin Simmons Songs to Know

1. “For Your Name”

2. “Hallelujah (Our God Reigns)”

3. “Caught In Your Eyes”