The Power of Praise and Worship

I haven't posted much this year, mostly because I can only write when I feel inspired to write. But for months I've been meaning to write something about an experience with God that transformed my faith, my life and my understanding of heaven. But first let me start with this vision of John from the Bible.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

 

"Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy; for
ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED." 

[Rev 15:2-4 NASB95]

 A few months ago a couple of our grandchildren were with us in the worship service, and after the songs were finished my grandson looked up at me and said, "have you been crying?" Well, I guess to a child it would look that way, but I had to explain that many times when I am pouring my heart out singing songs of worship, the tears begin to flow. That's a bit embarrassing and maybe hard to understand, but it hasn't always been that way for me.

In the spring of 2020 the world began to shut down as the Covid-19 virus became a pandemic. The first attempt to stop it (the "15 days to slow the spread" shutdown) finally ended in Texas after a couple of months when the warmer weather came. I was eager to get out of the house, and my wife was hosting her sisters for an extended weekend, so I went to visit my brother-in-law in the Texas Hill Country. Dave is a part-time worship leader and great host, and we had a few days of good fellowship while the sisters enjoyed spending time together.

It's about a four hour drive back to our house, and that was the time when I had my first real taste of heaven. I have a pretty good collection of worship music on my phone, so I began listening as I drove through the hills enjoying the beauty of the countryside. I can't remember the song that was playing, but as I looked into the sky that morning, I felt like heaven was just beyond the clouds, and I began to praise the Lord with thanksgiving in my heart for his great faithfulness and mercy. An hour passed and I stopped for coffee at a drive-through.

When I got back on the freeway, the worship intensified. I could truly envision the saints and angels around the throne of God, singing and bowing prostrate before Almighty God and the Lamb. Song after song played while I sang along and prayed. As I drove up each hill, I felt like I was about to pass through the clouds into glory! The tears began to flow and I could barely keep both hands on the wheel or keep my eyes dry enough to drive. I was singing and shouting praise to God while thinking about the unspeakable joy and gratefulness in my heart, that God would allow a sinner such as myself to come into his presence through the righteous blood of Jesus!

This continued for a couple more hours while I was getting more and more enraptured in the presence of God, until I finally pulled into the garage at my house. The car was still running and I knew my wife was waiting for me inside, but I did not want to turn the music off or leave the throne room of praise. I actually prayed, "Lord if you want to take me now, I'm ready!" I confess I had a brief thought that the carbon-monoxide might have helped, but soon realized that God wanted me to take that experience and remember it for the rest of my life.

This is what I learned from that day. Heaven will be a wonderful place, not because of its spectacular beauty or because of the glory of the new creation, but because of  The One I am with, and the unspeakable joy of being in the presence of saints and angels singing praise and proclaiming the righteous acts of God. In the four hours I drove, I never got tired or sore in the car; I never got bored or wanted to go anywhere or do anything but to continue in ever-increasing praise and worship. This was a truly unique experience that I cannot re-create, though I certainly pour my heart into worship whenever I can.

I also learned (and continue to learn) that our praise has an audience, whether alone or with thousands of other believers. When we come into the sanctuary to lift up the name of Jesus, we are singing and testifying to God himself, and to angels and the host of heaven, proclaiming his righteousness and agreeing with God that all his ways are true and just. God created us to proclaim his testimonies before thrones and dominions in heaven and on earth. And that is why, if you ever catch a glimpse of me with my hands lifted high and my face covered with tears, you can know that I've been in the presence of my savior and the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ.