Swazi. Stillness, Rest, and Worship.
Stillness. When you come from a distraction filled life, when what you crave is for noise, chaos, and constant movement, the thought of staying put simply doesn’t cross your mind. When you find yourself in between rolling hills in the middle of a country you barely knew existed, you find what your mind heart and soul had been craving. Stillness. Stillness in the Lord. A secret place saved just for you and your creator. The very creator that crafted the view that lay ahead of you. Thick grass, a light breeze, warm sun, and if you’re lucky maybe some animals will dance across the scene. Perhaps even ones you didn’t know existed.
Rest. This word always troubled me. It never quite made sense to me. The very idea of rest made my skin crawl. There was always something better to do. “I have work”, “I have to meet a friend”, “I have emails to reply to”, etc. However, when you enter stillness with the Lord, you find something you were never expecting to find. Rest. At least, that was my story. Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough. All I wanted to do was sit with Him. Worship Him. Speak with Him. And when the rest of the world is silent, the Lord isn’t.
Worship. If you’re like me, and you grew up anywhere around the Pacific Northwest, you probably have a picture of worship. Sing a couple of songs to start and end a church service, sway your hips back and forth, and if you’re feeling particularly bold, maybe toss a hand in the air. Yeah, this was my image of worship too. It was stiff, awkward, and honestly? I was bored. What a hold the enemy has on our worship! I was told something upon entering Swazi that changed my view entirely. Lucifer was the angel of worship. The very Lucifer that now detests the Lord, was once the leader of worship. I believe he still is. I believe we are all worshiping every second we exist on this earth. The question is, what are we worshiping? Where do we tend to see the most movement of our bodies, the loudest music, and the biggest excitement? I don’t know about you but I picture a concert. How is it that the image of worship the Lord wants from us is being channeled into other things? The enemy has a stronghold on our music and on our worship. The enemy is so sneaky we don’t even realize the warfare that it is. So many of us have grown so content with the “going through the motions” way of worship that we don’t even question it. And honestly, I never even thought there was anything wrong with it. Why is it that we don’t jump around and use our bodies as a reflection of how great our God is? Because the enemy has placed a fear of man upon our congregations that holds us back from praising our very creator. Why can’t we look foolish for the Lord? Why can’t we pray aloud and for each other? Are we too proud to sing shouts of praises to the Lord? What a conviction that was for me. The Lord did a 180 flip on the way I worship and talk to our Heavenly Father. Worship actually, has never, and will never be about me. And Praise the Lord for that because can you imagine the pressure if it was. Instead, I get to let loose and thank my Father for everything he has done for me and for those around me. Thank you Jesus for death to flesh and a spirit intertwined with yours.
Stillness, Rest, and Worship. These are the 3 words I would use to describe the 6 weeks I spent in the beautiful country of Swaziland. 3 of hundreds of words I could have chosen but what more do we need than His sovereignty, his presence, and his praise? Thank you Lord.
Leave a Reply