Honest Worship

Matt and Beth Redman in Blessed Be Your Name wrote, "Wholesome worship never minimizes the pain of this world. It could be all too easy to sing our victorious songs, forever sweeping the hardship of that life under the carpet. A far healthier approach is to acknowledge before God the pain of this life and then choose Him in the midst of it--not trying to deny or somehow superficially rise above our pain, but instead welcoming Him right into the reality of the situation."

When introducing the song "God of Wonders," I'd be inclined to read these four verses. They are encouraging, hopeful, powerful. Check out Psalm 77:11-14:

But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;

   I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

They are constantly in my thoughts.

   I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

O God, your ways are holy.

   Is there any god as mighty as you?

You are the God of great wonders!

   You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.

If you read only this first set of words, you would think the ancient song writer was delighted in his relationship with God. But the Psalmist was more honest than we want to be. In fact, his honesty reveals that he was not feeling very encouraged at all.  He knew about a fuller, more honest worship. Now read a few of the lines of his song that went before those above:

I think of the good old days
   long since ended,
when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
   I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
Has the Lord rejected me forever?
   Will he never again be kind to me?
Is his unfailing love gone forever?
   Have his promises permanently failed?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
   Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

And I said, “This is my fate;
   the Most High has turned his hand against me.”

This is key for honest worship. It's one of the reasons the song "Blessed Be Your Name" has been such a powerful song for so many. We must be careful not to "pretend worship," like nothing in life ever goes wrong. But neither can we worship like there is anything wrong with God. He really is the God of miracles and the God of wonders! 


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