Crosswalk.com

HomeWord - June 30, 2006


Love and Worship 
This devotional was written by Mike DeVries

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:2    


Have you ever noticed that some of the best conversations happen when you least expect it? Oftentimes, we feel the need to “schedule” some conversation, making sure that we are mentally prepared. Now trust me, I believe that there are times when this is exactly what is needed, yet I wonder… how many opportunities for great conversation have come and gone merely because we were not living fully present, with eyes wide open?

 

It was Good Friday and our family was in the middle of taking part in a time of worship and reflection with our church community, when my daughter tapped me on the shoulder. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.

 

“Daddy, why do we worship God?”

 

Honestly, my first thought was to tell her to be quiet, or perhaps to tell her that we would talk about it later, but I had this feeling deep inside of me that told me I better not miss this moment. So I took it.

 

I got out of my seat and took my daughter to the back of the room. Together we sat on the floor and talked about worship (quietly enough not to be heard). We talked about worship as more than just singing, though this is often the form that it takes. We talked about worship being something that we do every day, every moment. I told her that it was a chance for us to let God know how much we love Him, and how much we appreciate all that He has done for us.

 

“So it’s kind of like writing a letter to someone?”

 

“Yeah, that can be worship too.”

 

Fast forward now. It’s Resurrection Sunday. I had just settled in to watch one of what felt like a dozen of those “Jesus” documentaries that they show near Easter time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my daughter, and she was drawing something on a scratch pad. It was a cross, and some other nondescript swirlie shapes. In bold letters it said, “I love God and Jesus.”

 

I thought to myself, “She gets it.”

 

As I think back, I wonder what might have been if I had not taken an awkward, albeit God-ordained, moment to talk with my daughter. And, I wonder how the world would be changed if more of us, including myself, saw these kinds of moments for what they are – beautifully divine interruptions sent by God. Perhaps that’s something we should pray for, isn’t it?

To comment on today's devotional, click here .


       

GOING DEEPER:

1.    Think back to a time recently when you took what seemed to be an interruption and turned it into a moment to explore the divine. When was it? What was the discussion about?

2.  What do you think keeps us from having more of those kinds of conversations? What changes do you need to make in order to have more of these kinds of conversations?

FURTHER READING:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Exodus 13:1-16; Judges 2:8-12


HomeWord
Encouraging Parents…Building Families

Other FREE resources from HomeWord and Jim Burns:
-
7 Minutes to Being a Better Parent
-Download HomeWord's daily broadcast
-Get your toughest parenting questions answered
HomeWord provides bottom-shelf, real-life, practical resources ranging from 411 (information) and 911 (crisis resources) to help parents.