21 January, 2009

WORSHIP ADD

I took up my Master’s in Special Education in UP years ago but no one told me that other than ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) there is such a thing as WADD or Worship Attention Deficit Disorder! Hehehe The malady attacks normally when you are at church having Corporate Worship. I hate to admit it but I guess I have been suffering from this disorder for a very long time. You know, I love having to sing songs and worship the Lord every Sunday, but to tell you honestly, I am not sure how much percentage am I able to offer in concentrating and in focusing on “real worship” on the entirety of the worship service. The symptoms are evident; it include lack of focus, a faraway look in the eyes and the impression that I’m not all “there”; it’s like my brain is having an out-of- body experience. At the beginning I would be fully alert and very engaged then after awhile, my mind would start to wander and I become completely distracted. I’ll suddenly start thinking about so many other stuff like what to eat for lunch, what follow-ups I need to do at work, how will I spend my weekend, what menu will I prepare for the next day and so on and so forth……. My mouth might be moving but I am not thinking at all about what I am I singing. What a shame! L “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thoughts never to heaven go.” (King Claudius in Hamlet)

Apparently, I’m not the only one suffering from Worship ADD. But it’s definitely not an excuse for me to stay lax and not do something about it. As I was reading the book of my favourite author Rory Noland “The Worshiping Artist”, he said that as we worship, we should be more attentive to the names and attributes of God. And so I tried it! While singing along with the congregation, I search the lyrics for any characteristics, descriptions, or names of God and I emphasize those portions and sing them with greater energy. And guess what? It worked! For 2 months now, since I got to a read that remedy for Worship ADD, I have been fully aware and focused on God’s description in every song that I sing during worship. Like for example, last Sunday we sang the old hymn entitled “MAJESTY” and for that alone, I started thanking and worshiping God on how MAJECTIC He has been in my life. Other songs referred Him as ALL-POWERFUL, SOVEREIGN, GLORIOUS, KING OF KINGS, FORGIVER, MARVELOUS, MASTER, REDEEMER, SAVIOUR, LORD OF ALL, HEALER, RULER OF ALL, MOST HIGH GOD, NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, PRINCE OF PEACE, OUR REFUGE, RESTORER, PROVIDER and I can go on and on and on……… And once I started thinking about His character or description, my mind will automatically remind me of how that particular character of God blessed and touched my life. It is very effective and a truly wonderful time of worship!

I encourage you to try it yourself the next time you go to church and sing for Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. I wouldn’t want to break God’s heart anymore by mindlessly going through the motions during worship. Worshipping without conviction is what prompted Jesus to lament, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8)
Let us not allow corporate worship to digress into merely a sing-along time before the sermon. In I Corinthians 14:15, Paul says, “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”

Lovely verse isn’t it?

And so since then, each time I go to church, I make sure that no one talks to me or bothers me during worship; and that when I sing hymns or worship choruses, I interact intellectually and emotionally with lyrics that point directly to God.

Until next time, God bless you!

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