The rule and the exception...
Married musicians + a small house = a room of wall-to-wall instruments, music literature, binders full of lyrics. There will probably come a day when we move from our lovely little Jefferson Avenue abode and have more room to spread out our musical paraphernalia, but for now it makes me happy to stack the binders, and move the guitars to get to the bookshelves. The house where music dwells is a glad one.
The Lord has been pouring out music in our house lately like never before. My soul leaps at the thought of singing with Dan in our living room or our little office, because I know the Lord is going to meet us there. Songs He brings, revelation He gives...worship in the home with whoever happens to be there is a powerful thing. And it should be the rule, not the exception.
It's so very easy to be distracted by the mundane and forget that there is a Lover who longs for our attention, Who longs to spend time with us. In the rush of schedules and traffic and lunch dates and meetings, we lose our First Love. Oh, Lord, that we would return...
Our society has trained the last several generations that "worship" only happens on Sunday, inside four walls of a building, under the sign of a religious organization. But worship is a lifestyle as we see it laced throughout the New Testament, and there is no better place for that lifestyle to be lived out than in our homes. If individual families became more aware of the tangible presence of God inside their houses, as well as having intentional times of meeting God more than just when they are "at church", it would radically shake our society.
When the posture of worship is the norm in a home, it changes the atmosphere. It shifts and shakes and arranges things, lining them up how the Lord would have them be. Attitudes change, tone of voices change. When we agree together in worship, that agreement flows over and invades all the areas of our hearts.
Not only does worship change atmospheres, it also changes perspectives. What may have seemed like a big deal to stressed out, overreacting human eyes seems manageable by the Lord to worship-tinted Spirit eyes. Our God is so much bigger - His glory, His power, and His love reach so much further. Worship reminds us of that reality, and realigns our perspective.
Worship is a spiritual discipline - it does not happen by accident. Times spent interacting with the Trinity through song, or dance, or art, or prayer must be sought after intentionally. But the glorious truth is that Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are just waiting for us to say, "Come spend time with me!" For where two or three are gathered in His name, He is just itching to come and be in their midst. That can be you, you and a room mate, husband and wife, parent and child, friends, large families, small families.
It doesn't have to be some grand 2 hour ordeal every night, but there are such simple ways to invite the Trinity into your household, to have dominion there. Scripture on mirrors, door facings, inside kitchen cabinets remind members of a household of true reality - Who God is and what He says about them. Worship music playing throughout the day - even when nobody is home - changes the atmosphere with reminders that God is on the throne, that Jesus blood has cleansed us, and that the Holy Spirit is alive and well. It can completely shift the atmosphere of a house from hostile or stressed, to confident and joyful. Making prayer a constant conversation, instead of a quickie before a meal, ended with a definite "amen", encourages a family to keep the Lord consciously invited in, and to remain aware of His presence there.
Then, have "worship nights" with your family or your room mates or your friends. Get in the Word, pray together. If there are musicians in your house, have a jam session and sing in the Spirit - or sing songs already written and see what He will do with them. If you don't have musicians, then just sing together, or put on a cd. Dance! Clap! Jump up and down! If there are artists in your house, let there be opportunities for worshipping through drawing or painting. For the contemplative writer, journal whatever comes from the Lord. Whatever avenue of worship you choose, just enjoy being with the Lord. Taste and see that He is good!
My heart cry is to witness the coming of a worshipping generation - a generation equipped to bring healing and deliverance by the power of God, through worship. That will not come through Sunday-only worshippers, or by complacent worshippers. It will come only by the power of God being tasted and hungered for, and by a group of people persuaded that the same power that conquered the grave lives in them - day in and day out. And it must become the rule - not the exception - and it must happen in our homes, before it happens anywhere else.
-HK
The Lord has been pouring out music in our house lately like never before. My soul leaps at the thought of singing with Dan in our living room or our little office, because I know the Lord is going to meet us there. Songs He brings, revelation He gives...worship in the home with whoever happens to be there is a powerful thing. And it should be the rule, not the exception.
It's so very easy to be distracted by the mundane and forget that there is a Lover who longs for our attention, Who longs to spend time with us. In the rush of schedules and traffic and lunch dates and meetings, we lose our First Love. Oh, Lord, that we would return...
Our society has trained the last several generations that "worship" only happens on Sunday, inside four walls of a building, under the sign of a religious organization. But worship is a lifestyle as we see it laced throughout the New Testament, and there is no better place for that lifestyle to be lived out than in our homes. If individual families became more aware of the tangible presence of God inside their houses, as well as having intentional times of meeting God more than just when they are "at church", it would radically shake our society.
When the posture of worship is the norm in a home, it changes the atmosphere. It shifts and shakes and arranges things, lining them up how the Lord would have them be. Attitudes change, tone of voices change. When we agree together in worship, that agreement flows over and invades all the areas of our hearts.
Not only does worship change atmospheres, it also changes perspectives. What may have seemed like a big deal to stressed out, overreacting human eyes seems manageable by the Lord to worship-tinted Spirit eyes. Our God is so much bigger - His glory, His power, and His love reach so much further. Worship reminds us of that reality, and realigns our perspective.
Worship is a spiritual discipline - it does not happen by accident. Times spent interacting with the Trinity through song, or dance, or art, or prayer must be sought after intentionally. But the glorious truth is that Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are just waiting for us to say, "Come spend time with me!" For where two or three are gathered in His name, He is just itching to come and be in their midst. That can be you, you and a room mate, husband and wife, parent and child, friends, large families, small families.
It doesn't have to be some grand 2 hour ordeal every night, but there are such simple ways to invite the Trinity into your household, to have dominion there. Scripture on mirrors, door facings, inside kitchen cabinets remind members of a household of true reality - Who God is and what He says about them. Worship music playing throughout the day - even when nobody is home - changes the atmosphere with reminders that God is on the throne, that Jesus blood has cleansed us, and that the Holy Spirit is alive and well. It can completely shift the atmosphere of a house from hostile or stressed, to confident and joyful. Making prayer a constant conversation, instead of a quickie before a meal, ended with a definite "amen", encourages a family to keep the Lord consciously invited in, and to remain aware of His presence there.
Then, have "worship nights" with your family or your room mates or your friends. Get in the Word, pray together. If there are musicians in your house, have a jam session and sing in the Spirit - or sing songs already written and see what He will do with them. If you don't have musicians, then just sing together, or put on a cd. Dance! Clap! Jump up and down! If there are artists in your house, let there be opportunities for worshipping through drawing or painting. For the contemplative writer, journal whatever comes from the Lord. Whatever avenue of worship you choose, just enjoy being with the Lord. Taste and see that He is good!
My heart cry is to witness the coming of a worshipping generation - a generation equipped to bring healing and deliverance by the power of God, through worship. That will not come through Sunday-only worshippers, or by complacent worshippers. It will come only by the power of God being tasted and hungered for, and by a group of people persuaded that the same power that conquered the grave lives in them - day in and day out. And it must become the rule - not the exception - and it must happen in our homes, before it happens anywhere else.
-HK
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