Friday, November 21, 2008

The Impact of Surrendered & Untamed Worship

David steps out onto the battlefield to face Goliath and I cant help but wonder what the Israelite men on the sidelines were thinking. We know that there were some, in particular, David’s own brothers, that thought it was none of his business, he did not belong there, should keep his mouth shut and stay out of the way. Many of the men I imagine were angry and probably had thoughts like "Who does this kid think he is" and "He deserves what's coming."

Yet I have to believe that there were some who knew the moment they saw it, the rightness of it, the righteousness of it. I have to believe there were some who watched David take the field and wished they had been the one to step out. I have to believe that with some, the heart was whispering YES even when the mind screamed NO. I have to believe this because I have been that man. I have watched while others step into their promise with a revelation of God and a defiance toward logic. I have watched and my spirit has leapt within me and said "me too!"

David stepped out onto the field of battle, surrendered his will, his comfort, even his life to the Promise Giver. His actions said I am partnered with God and He will be exalted above all else. He committed an amazing act of worship. And when worship is witnessed at such a level it commands a response. True worshippers will make those around them hungry, nervous or angry. True worshippers will force those around to surrender and join in or get out of the game. And a worship lifestyle radically impacts the world we live in.

Everything in the Kingdom of God is birthed out of worship. All of our promises are engaged through worship. Our worship is an act of surrender, our will for His. But our worship doesn’t stop at surrender. When we surrender to God, He invites us into the untamed where we can demonstrate our worship. And as David demonstrated, when surrender proceeds untamed, victory is always the result.

What’s amazing is that when a person enters into this kind of radical worship, giants die. In this case, David’s worship not only brought him personal victory, it brought a victory everyone partook of. Because of David’s radical act of worship, the Israelites won the day. This is the kind of worship that not only engages a personal promise; it also expands the parameter of a Kingdom. That’s why I believe that when it comes to worship, we can’t play at it.

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