“I’m just not feeling it today.”
I’ve used those six words to skip many vital activities. That sentence has been my excuse for skipping the gym, eating unhealthy food, avoiding a hard conversation, procrastinating on a project, and connecting with my wife and kids.
All too often, we base our engagement in certain activities on the feelings that are prominent at the moment. This pattern explains our inconsistency, our frustrations, and our current struggles.
As a pastor, I often listen as people share about pulling away from their small group in the very moments when they need to be with others. My heart breaks as I hear people who feel they cannot step foot into a church service because of their recent sinful activities, as if their sin and shame disqualify them from moving toward God and His people. When I encounter this kind of thinking, I do all I can to remind people that God’s presence and movement can come out of nowhere to surprise us.
Danny Gokey and Naomi Raine’s new song, “Can’t Help But Worship, " addresses this disorienting experience. While listening to the song, I was caught up by the lyrics' focus on God’s power and presence and His worthiness to be praised. The lyrics seemed familiar, so I began searching my Bible. I found their source in two Old Testament passages.
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In Isaiah 6, the prophet is disoriented and grieving the death of King Uzziah, a good king who sought the Lord and ruled with integrity. Isaiah’s mourning was disrupted by an unexpected encounter with God, which the chapter begins by describing.
“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.”
Isaiah’s vision would have been overwhelming and disorienting at any time, but I can’t imagine how shocking it was to encounter God at such a vulnerable and emotional time. This testimony from Isaiah reminds us that worship is not only our response to God when God's blessings are easily seen. We can worship God at all times because He’s always available, and His glory is permanently on display in the world.
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But, “Can’t Help But Worship” not only draws on Isaiah 6 with lyrics like “I see the Lord - High and lifted up in this place - The train of His robe - Oh the train of His robe - Is filling the temple as we wait.” This worship anthem echoes the words of King David in Psalm 145. The psalm's opening verses talk about our eternal worship of God for His immeasurable glory.
“I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
I will praise you every day;
Yes, I will praise you forever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.”
As I’ve read and pondered these passages, along with playing “Can’t Help But Worship,” a couple of truths began to linger in my mind.
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First, if we only worship when we feel like it, we’ll skip worship more than engage in it. There are many moments when I’m not feeling like gathering with my church on a Sunday morning (and I’m the pastor!) Sometimes, I don’t feel like praying, reading Scripture, showing up in friendships, or serving others. But, my worship - the songs I sing and the lifestyle I pursue - is not a response to my feelings. Worship is a response to God’s glory and worthiness, which does not ebb and flow. This song - and the Scriptures it echoes - invites us to a life of consistent worship.
Second, God’s presence does not follow a calendar or a map. While we might expect God to show up at certain times and places, the Bible records God surprising people by showing up in the mouth of a donkey, in fire falling from heaven, through a still small voice on a mountaintop, and in a dry fleece. The Holy Spirit rolled the stone of Christ’s grave away without an audience and fell on uneducated men, empowering them to speak languages they didn’t previously know.
We’ve all had moments when we chose not to worship. However, when we listen to a song like “Can’t Help But Worship,” we can be drawn away from a fixation on our feelings and current circumstances. This powerful song from Danny Gokey and Naomi Raine is one I’ll return to when I need to lift my eyes from my grief to my God!
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s life-changing project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
