I’m super excited to be a part of a NOW (Night of Worship) event this Sunday evening, March 15.  My good friend David Wilkinson invited me to be a guest singer, and we had a practice last night with the band.

Man, the songs we’re doing are so much what I need right now! I’m blown away by how GOOD God is to us! There are times when we see little glimpses of His hand of goodness even (maybe especially) in times of brokenness and pain.

In a conversation yesterday with my Mom, and later David, I was expressing how I just feel like I want to be close to Jesus…but so often something seems to be missing. It’s like, I just can’t get there. But then it occurred to me in the same sentence that maybe I just need to stop striving and JUST WORSHIP HIM.

About 3 years ago, God touched me in such a real way and I experienced what it means to worship. It was so beautiful to get up every morning and get down on my knees with my guitar and sing a new song to Him. Sometimes when I felt especially dry, I would grab my hymn book, and sing the old hymns with a new melody. I would pray to Him and thank Him for who He is, even when I sometimes just didn’t understand, and it’s crazy how His presence would so fill my heart!! No better place.

So, back to my conversation yesterday, my Mom agreed about the “just worship Him” solution. 🙂 She reminded me of all the reasons I have to just worship Him…how He saved me through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, even when I was His enemy (Romans 5), how He chose me before the creation of the world (Whaaaaat!!), how He is my Shepherd, who leads me beside quiet waters and to green pastures and restores my soul (Psalm 23)…the list is ENDLESS!

Then when I was chatting with David about this, he said, “Saying, ‘Oh Lord, I just so badly want to be close to You’, can be almost like saying, ‘Oh man, I just so badly want to go to the store!’… If you want to go to the store, just do it! And same with being close to the Lord…”

God has already made the way clear for us to have a close relationship with Him through Jesus, so instead of me focusing on my sin and unworthiness, I need to look at the truth of my right standing, my peace with God, and just WORSHIP Him! There is such a joy…a joy that I’ve never experienced in ANY other situation in my life…when we are in God’s holy presence.

HA, I did not mean this to even turn into a “preachy” blog, but I guess I couldn’t help myself! I hope someone who reads this will be encouraged today to come close to God through faith, and stop trying to work so hard to “get to Him”…He’s already done all the work!

Here is one of the songs we’re doing on Sunday night…I just learned it, and it’s been exciting my soul!!