Telling A Fish to Swim

I have become aware of the continuous concern about our generation and the burning question: “What went wrong?”  I am saddened to say that one of the things that went wrong is that we have lost is our worship. I fear that rocks are crying out in our stead. Our self-image and pride has consumed us distracting us from the main reason that we are here and that is, because of our faithful and amazing God! God is searching for young people that will give Him true worship like in John 4:23-24(NIV); “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” We must begin to make worship a priority and stop worrying about whether or not we may look silly.  Or if we jump too much for God we'll get those gross rings of sweat under our arms. For some of us young ladies we don't want to look foolish just in case there are young men around -- so we play it cool. If there are young men around they’d better be in the front of the altar as well.  Our worship would impress them. Can I get an amen?!

I am certainly not saying to worship God just to pick up a preacher man! But that once a youth group unites together in a church and begins to worship God with everything they have in them, a fiery passion starts to work itself into the hearts of the ones participating. When we worship we are showing God our love for Him, and God places a hunger for more in us. I miss finding that ‘old fashioned altar’ where you would bask in the presence of the Lord for hours upon hours with no care in the world. You could place your whole heart on the altar and God would swoop down and pick up every problem you carried in it. I remember when we would experience that every Sunday night. I find it heart wrenching that it seems to be a rare thing these days. It seems that all we care about is fashion and food, and the only time we are found at the altar is for twenty minutes to pray for ourselves.

I think it is sad when the preacher has to almost beg young people to back Him up and worship the Lord. To have to ask a young person who is saved by the grace of God to worship is like telling a fish to swim. When I say worship I don't exactly mean to go hog wild and jump until your heels break. I looked up the definition and I think it seems fitting: “The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. Notice the last three words, “love is expressed.” I feel that worship is when you show God how much you love Him and hunger and thirst after Him. I think worship is when you don't feel like raising your hands but you do anyway because you love the Lord and are not ashamed. I will never forget a service at youth camp where Bro. Joshua Carney preached a message entitled “Bow Up!”  He spoke to us about how God wants our worship to be the weapon we use to win our battles, like in Zechariah 9:12-17(NIV): “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword. Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; He will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The LORD their God will save His people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.”  God wants us to teach us as youth to worship and then He will fight our battles. Our worship is compared to the bow and arrow like scripture.  God will grab the bow of our heart to get us out of our original shape, and bend it so far that it almost breaks; to prepare us. After we are prepared, God fills us with ammunition, which is Ephraim, a type of knowledge! So God fills us with understanding or revelation, but then we must be put into the Masters hands. The arrow is useless unless the energy from the arm is transferred into the bow and imparted unto the arrow via the string.  When we are put in His hand the weapon (bow) is no longer complex but operational, usable! When I heard the words being preached, it like my heart fell into pieces right there in the altar. We have to allow God to bend us almost to the breaking point to string us as a weapon. Once He has strung us the process is not over yet, then He has to grab that string and pull it back to aim at the target.  Then when He feels we are ready, He lets go and the only place we can go from there is forward! The Bible says He will restore twice as much to us, and I don't know about you but that excites me!  When we worship, the gates of hell begin to shake and each time our foot hits the ground and bounces back up, each tear, each shout of praise, and each drop of sweat puts us closer and closer to God and to our personal victory!

What I ask of you is to search your heart and ask yourself, do I worship God enough? Have I been an example to the youth in my church? How long has it been since I found that old fashioned altar and poured my heart out to God? I want us all to be the generation of young people with a fiery passion and hunger for God that cannot spend enough time worshiping at the altar every time we have the chance.

I want to be the worshiper with true worship that God searches for, don’t you?