Source/Author: Dr Michael Dalseno

Worshipping the Lord regularly on a Sunday is indeed a privilege, having existed throughout church history, Jewish Synagogue life, and even earlier. But for some of us, or probably most of us at some time, we find ourselves being “captured,” not by the Holy Spirit, but by another insidious menace.

WORSHIP: CAPTURED BY FAMILIARITY?

By Dr.  D

Worshipping the Lord regularly on a Sunday is indeed a privilege, having existed throughout church history, Jewish Synagogue life, and even earlier. It is both a celebratory and solemn occasion in which we allow the Holy Spirit to “capture” our hearts, attention, focus, and lives. That, at least, is the theory which is supposed to culminate in actual practice. But for some of us, or probably most of us at some time, we find ourselves being “captured,” not by the Holy Spirit, but by another insidious menace.

It’s called being “captured” by familiarity; when routine, boredness, tiredness, repetitiveness, and other tedium descends on us to make Sunday worship a desensitized experience. “After all,” says our habitual minds, “We have done it so many times before.” We know the very minute the worship will crank up, and when it will finish. We know all the typical people on the platform. We know most of the songs. We even know all the worship team’s strengths, weakness, longevity and pitfalls.

Yet, worship is supposed to be everything except “a yawn experience.” I wonder what we would think if we saw the Lord turning up at our worship service, seeing all of us, and then lapse into a deep and descending yawn of unenthusiasm? We would be shocked. We should be as early as we can for the worship service, even preceded by prayer, and enthusiastically entered into with gusto and expectancy. Imagine any King, with a host of subjects in his kingdom, who are casual and nonchalant about His presence. What would we think of that kingdom? Or of their King?

And, while thinking about kingdoms, consider the first two kings of Israel: Saul and David. Both started so well. Both had a call of God. Both made their mistakes. On becoming king, David knew the very first thing he must do is fetch the Ark and bring back the presence of God in Israel’s worship (2Sam.Ch.6). Saul couldn’t be bothered with it. Saul was “captured” by familiarity. David was “captured” by the Holy Spirit. So, what “captures” us?