Honest Worship


I’ve been wrestling with my faith for a while.  Things that were once black and white are now less so.  Worship services have been hard for me during this journey because their relentless positivity stands in contrast to the internal struggle I’ve been experiencing.

Apparently I’m not the only person who has noticed this.


I have found little in church worship that reflects the Psalmists cry of "How long will you hide your face from me?" (Psalm 13), “My eyes grow weak with sorrow” (Psalm 6) or “You have put me in the lowest pit” (Psalm 88).

Instead I hear this:



I believe the Bible teaches us that worship must include declarations of the greatness, love and incredible goodness of God.  I also believe it teaches that God's OK if sometimes our worship sounds like this (fair warning, language):


Word Count: 139

Comments

  1. Yogi26 October 2012 at 07:55

    Hi Eric,
    Personal lows many times are synonymous with personal (spiritual) growth.

    The chick breaking through the egg must first face the resistance of the hard shell before experiencing new life that it has never experienced before. (Salvation is not an event, it's a continuous journey in this age).

    Now in my 4th year of research in, what I consider 3 of the most far reaching areas of study (covering science, psychology, philosophy, cosmology, history, religion, biology and more), namely the topics of 1.The Character of God, 2. The Nature of Faith and 3. The Power of Love ,
    a conclusion is emerging for me that Western Christianity and institutionalized religion as a whole cannot do justice to God's attributes as they are manifested in our reality and more specifically in the human heart.

    My research was in similar manner triggered by personal crisis and looking back I'm not sure if I would have wanted it any other way, since it produced in me a new dimension of awareness of God's presence that has not existed for me before then.

    With Sincere Regards,
    Yogi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yogi26 October 2012 at 07:58

    ..sorry, I think I blew the 140 word barrier ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. ericjversluis28 October 2012 at 19:16

    Yogi, I am very much in agreement that "struggle" is not something to be avoided in our spiritual journeys but is, in fact, something to be embraced. Thanks for your comments!

    ReplyDelete

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