I have this pet peeve, well, actually I have tons of them, but here is one that really gets me. We sing a lot of songs "to" God, but in reality we don't mean what we sing. I guess I will confess (that rhymed) that I do it too. I "feel" the songs when I sing them, in my heart and my mind I mean them, but if I think very long about the words at all, I don't know that I DO mean them. For example, today we were singing the Chris Tomlin song (big shock, aren't they all written by Chris Tomlin?) More Than Enough.
I'm posting all of the words because I really want you to read them and THINK about what they mean.
All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
You're my supply
My breath of life still more awesome than I know
You're my rewardWorth living forstill more awesome than I know
You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price and still more awesome than I know
You’re my coming King
You're my everything and still more awesome than I know
Chorus:
More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can see
You are more than enough for me
So, I was standing there singing, "More than all I want, more than all I need, you are more than enough for me" and suddenly I looked up at those words on the screen and I THOUGHT about what I was singing, what I was saying to God, and I stopped singing. I thought to myself, and I said to God, "Do I mean this God? Are you more than all I want, more than all I need?" and oh I was so convicted, because sadly, the answer was no. I could immediately think of things I wanted more than I wanted God at that moment. I wanted my broken arm to stop hurting. I wanted my husband to be sitting next to me. I wanted my friend's baby to be safely tucked back in her womb for another week, and if that wasn't possible, then I wanted for him to be home, healthy and whole. I wanted that same friend's faith to be intact. And that was my quick list.
All that to say, I think I . . . we . . . I should be more careful about what I am saying "singing" to God as praise. Because the reality was, today, I was singing a lie. That gives me a lot to think about.
yo yo yo!!!!
ReplyDeletemiss you carol! i deal with this quite a bit...a lot of conflict as a worship leader you can imagine.
ReplyDeletei am finding that God is worthy...and the more i fall into looking at my unworthiness and failures and doubt and insecurity and lack of faith...and at best hypocritically living out these lyrics...He never stopped being more than enough...and i have taken my eyes off Him and put them on myself - i believe the enemy rules in this thinking.
There are times when i need to be silent and times when not to be...but always i must acknowledge the truth of his character whether i am living it out or not...He is who He is....God alone, ruler of all things, creator, sustainor....always and never ceasing to be more than enough!!!
meanwhile....im starving....so im going to eat now...because....God made me to have needs.
So God...thanks for giving me needs and desires for things...in your wisdom knowing that if i will draw near to you these things will continue to leave me dissatisfied....
thanks for creating adam...knowing that although he had everything....he was still lonely and longed for companionship...and rather than denying him that...you created Eve!!!
All of you is enough...thank you for that Lord....
show me what that looks like in my life lived out as you have created me with needs and desires that bring conflict to my heart...
i will worship you - be it by the posture of my heart or hands....by lifestyle or lyrics...
because in truth: your grace is enough, your love is everlasting, if i wait on you my strength will rise...simply because its true of your character.
because in todays worship service....i remember that my worship is not a destination, but a journey...
if more leaders would express this from the stage...would probably bring a lot more freedom to the congregation...
so when you moving back to GA? cause this lack of the carol in our life is not enough for us!!!!!!!!
love ya!
i think that's right on, carol...i actually don't have that thought often enough, because if I did mean everything that i said/sang to God, probably I would be quite a different person...it's easy to flip that switch, and go into auto-pilot with your relationship with HIm...it's a pretty crappy thing when I think about it, how so often you can just go through the motions of singing, or reading, or praying, or whatever, and not really stop to think about what it fully means to let Him be your full supply and morph into a person who really does desire Christ above all else...challenging, I say...I'm glad that you're internet "dear diary-ing", thanks for putting it out there, my friend!
ReplyDeletewith love
Thanks for that reminder, Case. That even though I may not "feel like" or "act like" God is more than enough, it doesn't change the fact that he still is more than enough.
ReplyDelete