Religion is when God leaves and men make up rules to fill the void. - Bono
Sometimes I wonder if that is what our worship is like. “Worship is when we’re unsure of where God is, so we sing songs to fill the void.” When the elusive vibe is sought and found, does it bring satisfaction? Or are we left wondering, ‘Is that all there is?’ After the last song is sung, and the good feelings dissipate into the realization that there is still work to be done, have we truly met with God? Are we awed by the glimpse we have caught? Does the knowledge of the character of our God leave us hungry for more, or are we easily satisfied by a musician’s lullaby?
May we never allow men or music to pacify our hunger for the Living God. We should feel like someone who has just downed a 36oz bucket of popcorn, and is now in dire need of a tall glass of the Living Water!
Our time within a church building was never intended to be a time to bring satisfaction to the hunger of a man’s soul. It’s original intent and purpose was to study the Word (which was not readily available to all) and to fellowship amongst believers. May we never allow our time in a corporate meeting to be the only time we seek after God. If that is the case, we are not truly hungry.
When Jesus died, the veil was rent from top to bottom. Since that time, we have insisted on paying men to mend the veil, by opting to hear eloquent sermons in place of spending time with God ourselves. Why is that? The Word promises, “Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled” . . . This is God’s only prerequisite for dwelling with us. If we truly want to meet with God, he has promised to draw near to us. However, we must be wary not to allow men to fill the place God deserves, because anything less than a true hunger for the Living God will only be met by substitutions.
