What can you do after a doctor gives your child a diagnosis that seems to drain every ounce of energy out of your body? There’s a sense of urgency that you have to do something, and fast. But you don’t understand half of what they are saying let alone even begin to know what to do about it? Job went through something much worse than a health issue with a child; he actually lost all of his children. I had to see what a godly parent would do in the face of such grief.
Job 1:20
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshipped."
Of course! He worshipped. Although worship wasn’t the first thing on my mind, it should have been. I’ve watched children worship and witnessed the power of His presence. I’ll never forget bringing the neighborhood children into our house for Kidz Blast, a Bible club. We talked about how lifting our hands during worship was like giving God a hug and how we close our eyes so we won’t be distracted. There were about eight children and at the end of our worship song their eyes were as wide as saucers. I quietly asked, “Do you feel that?” No one spoke; they all just nodded their heads in wide-eyed agreement.
I’ve also watched children, labeled as ADHD, stand quietly with all of their attention on Him, worshipping. I don’t know whether they all truly have attention deficits, but I do know that there are no deficits as they stand in His presence and worship. Many times we adults also seem to have a deficit in our attentiveness to Him, especially during a crisis, which can only be corrected in worship.
We tell the kids every Sunday that praise is about thanking God for all that He has done for us and worship is about thanking Him for who He is. It makes sense that the first thing we should do when facing fear, grief, doubt, anger, and hopelessness is to remember Who He is. Only in worship can we redirect our attention to the One that can give us peace and strength.
Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! TRUST JESUS NOW
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I liked your title and I liked all your examples. The only thing I would change is to connect your opening with your closing. I wondered what about the child? How does the parent feel now that he/she reminded themselves what is needed in a crisis? Overall, a nice read and reminder. Thanks
Thank you for the reminder, Anita. Although sometimes it is a sacrifice to worship, when we are going through tough times, it is nothing compared to His sacrifice. Worship draws us close to His side where we should ever abide. Thanks.
How right you are! I'm sure everyone who reads this will be reminded to keep their eyes on Him! Good article. Thanks for sharing these important words with us. Joanne
Anita, what truth this contains. All too often our circumstances can leave us not feeling like worshipping, yet that's the very time we need to worship all the more. Good challenging article. With love, Deb
