Let Us Worship and Bow Down
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Psalm 95:3-7
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it; for his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our
Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Back from Lake Junaluska less than 12 hours ago! I can’t begin to explain and share, yet alone process and understand everything that happened in the last 4 days! That will come as the days ahead unfold. But one amazing thing did happen when I got home and logged on to my computer last night. I subscribe to a “scripture a day” e-mail service, and last night I checked each scripture—every single one mentioned God’s mountains! That was certainly in keeping with the theme of the week! God-incidences abounded and by Monday night, there was a physical, tangible, very real presence that descended upon that camp and every person there! But more later!
This scripture is so fitting, whether you’ve been at a Youth in Missions camp, whether you’ve driven through the mountains of western Virginia and North Carolina, hiked the Appalachian trail, or sat at the edge of the sea and closed your eyes and listened with a certain assurance that the next wave was coming to crash against the sand, and that if you sat in that one place long enough, the tide would come in and meet the sandy shoreline. The words of this scripture that summarize my week are: let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord.”
That’s what the entire week was about. Every session, every family group, every mission activity. Worship God. The meaning and purpose of our lives. The only one we need. The only thing we should seek after in this life is more ways to worship God through our actions, words, and thoughts.
I’m so sleep deprived. I’m so physically tired. (I told the kids (many times!) I’m really too old for this!) But really, I felt reborn again! I felt vital and full of energy and found myself jumping up and down to “stomp Satan” and singing with abandon and clapping my hands until they were numb. And I deepened friendships with the other adults, and spent some quiet, relaxed time with some of our youth—in the wee hours of the morning there’s an intimacy that isn’t generally felt in the bright light of the day. I know . . . I’m rambling. But just wait until I’m rested and had time to decompress and pray and think about everything that happened and every revelation from the Holy Spirit and every message from God.
God not only dwells in the mountains of North Carolina, but in our hearts, within each one of us. It’s easier to believe that during the “mountaintop” experiences like the week at LJ. But when we’re in a valley—in a hard spot or a painful situation—we need to draw on those to sustain us. I bow down to praise my God who is wonderful beyond description or imagining.
I hope you spend your day feeling God’s presence, and bowing down to worship him through your words and your actions.
Mary
