There are days that rock our lives to the core. They come unexpectedly, often taking us by surprise. I've watched as this happens to some very special people this week.

"Life is so damn hard," I cry. God tells me, "I'm still here."

Sometimes it seems hard to continue in an attitude of "worship" during these difficult times. We want to withdraw, to retreat. If God wants to get involved, we want Him to "fix the problem" so that we can go on with our lives. But God simply wants us to allow Him to be present with us through these most difficult times, and especially during these times. He loves us and He loves the ones who have hurt us. He will be our rock, our fortress, our stronghold, and our shield, if we just let Him. As our Father, He waits for us to come and crawl into His lap.

Last week, John talked about surrender. This week, in this very real world, I understand what it means to fully surrender. God wants everything. He wants my whole heart, my whole mind, and my whole spirit. There is nothing in this world that he wants me to hold onto tighter than I hold onto Him. He wants everything.

I've often tried to bargain with God, to first find out what He wants me to "give up" before I fully surrender. Yet He never tells me. He waits for me to say, "Yes, Lord."

"Life is so damn hard," I cry again. God tells me, "I'm still here, waiting."

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

According to the verse above, we are to pray constantly and to give thanks in everything that we do. This act of praying constantly may look different to certain people. To some, praying constantly is to pray to God in our cars, or at our work places, or at night before we sleep. To others, it could be simply knowing that God is always listening, and being free in our communication with God no matter where we are. I picture this act of praying continually with a telephone. We are at one end of the phone, and God is at the other end. This phone allows you to speak with God freely, and you can be certain that God will never hang up on you, only you can end the call. So I view this act as one sitting the phone off of the jack, knowing very well that God is always listening and is always available to talk to.
Another important point in the verse above is to give thanks in all circumstances. All the blessings in our lives are results of God. We should give him thanks not only on Sundays, but every day of the week. I have a good friend that I'd like to use as an example. As he began to grow in his faith and learn more about God, he began to understand that everything in his life was a blessing from God. So now every time someone asks him, "How are you" he always responds, "I'm blessed". I think it's so cool to be able to recognize the fact that your life is a blessing every time you're asked how you are.

Our worship was never meant to be a one day event. God never intended on us to only praise and worship Him on Sunday mornings in church nor does He deserve so little of our affection. Our God is a great God who is constantly with us and constantly cares for us. And I believe that once we realize how much He has blessed our lives, we can't help but constantly praise Him.

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Psalm 150 - Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

When I read this Psalm, I realize that worship isn't necessarily supposed to be muted. Growing up, I would have to sit in the pew in silence and sing traditional hymns. As a child, I found this to be a miserable time. I have found that I enjoy worship that is joyful and uplifting. Before I knew about this Psalm, I used to think that worship was supposed to be quiet and reverent. This verse tells me that worship can also be upbeat and reverent. I have found that I can really feel the presence of the Lord when we are singing in church, or when I am singing in my car. I have found that through music, I can sing (if you can call it that) my praises to God. I like this way of talking with God because it puts me more at ease, and it is easier for me to communicate with God in this manner. I feel that I can really "speak" my heart to God through song.

While I enjoy the more "traditional" church service, I have really enjoyed the contemporary setting that I have found at the Quest. Through the music, I am able to feel God's presence. There isn't a Sunday that goes by that I don't feel His presence. This feeling of the Lord's presence is awesome. The uplifting music and relevant message each week actually rejuvenates me. Psalm 150 reminds me that it is OK to praise the Lord in a loud and powerful way; after all, He is an amazing and powerful God. Through this type of worship, I feel challenged to leave the church on Sunday and serve the Lord daily.

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I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. Psalms 121:1 (The Message)

I feel closest to God when I am out in his creation, hiking up along a mountain trail or pedaling up a big mountain on my road bike. I see God all around me. He made every tree, every flower, every rock, and is the air that I breathe. He made me. I am a part of His creation. In fact, he even asked me (in Genesis) to look over His creation and take care of it. And He gives me strength to take the next steps, or pedal up the next mile. And oh the reward when I finally reach to top. I pause to rest, and I look around and see even more of His marvelous creation from this vantage point. I worship God in these moments.

God prepares me along the way for those wonderful times when my path takes me along one of those terrific climbs. The climb may seem tough at the moment, but He has prepared me for it. And as the psalmist says, he gives me strength all along the journey.

Worship is such a marvelous experience when you know that God had brought you to that place, and that he has been preparing you all along for this destination. You are at a moment in time to marvel and wonder at the awesome presence of such a loving God. He created you, He prepared the way, the journey thus far has made you stronger, and now you are here in His presence. Take pleasure in a God who loves you so much, and has chosen to reveal Himself in a significant way at this place and time. What an awesome God we serve.

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I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. Psalms 121:1 (The Message)

I feel closest to God when I am out in his creation, hiking up along a mountain trail or pedaling up a big mountain on my road bike. I see God all around me. He made every tree, every flower, every rock, and is the air that I breathe. He made me. I am a part of His creation. In fact, he even asked me (in Genesis) to look over His creation and take care of it. And He gives me strength to take the next steps, or pedal up the next mile. And oh the reward when I finally reach to top. I pause to rest, and I look around and see even more of His marvelous creation from this vantage point. I worship God in these moments.

God prepares me along the way for those wonderful times when my path takes me along one of those terrific climbs. The climb may seem tough at the moment, but He has prepared me for it. And as the psalmist says, he gives me strength all along the journey.

Worship is such a marvelous experience when you know that God had brought you to that place, and that he has been preparing you all along for this destination. You are at a moment in time to marvel and wonder at the awesome presence of such a loving God. He created you, He prepared the way, the journey thus far has made you stronger, and now you are here in His presence. Take pleasure in a God who loves you so much, and has chosen to reveal Himself in a significant way at this place and time. What an awesome God we serve.

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