It sounds like an oxymoron, worshipping in the midst of trials, and yet over and over in Scripture, we see depictions of how, in times of trials, our need to surrender ourselves, by offering worship to God, actually brings peace and relief while giving glory to the Father.
"Worship is about who you bow down to." - Francis Chan
If you read my first blog about fear, you might remember that I was confronted with the question of whether I could help create a space to sit in fear with God. Well, the answer I eventually came to was no, I couldn't create that space, but I could come before God with my fears to surrender them as an act of worship. This realization led me to create a study about worship and what worshipping looks like as we go through trials (aka when it is most crucial for us to offer worship and praise to God).
The thing is, worship is one of those topics that has been taught and retaught so many times with the same sermon illustrations that I was nervous about tackling the topic with my small group. I tend to want to come at things from a fresh or different perspective, kind of like a new recipe, it doesn't always work because sometimes what theologians have been teaching for thousands of years is the truth that continues to speak life. But sometimes God surprises me by awakening me to a topic in a completely different way - and I feel like that's what I was able to do just that with worship. He opened my heart and mind to a better understanding of worship as I sought to teach others how to worship in the midst of the trials we're currently experiencing.
Early in my research for this article, I stumbled upon a video from Francis Chan in which he said, "worship is about who we bow down to" (RightNowMedia, 2013). I think the first reality we need to come to is just that, in times of stress, fear, or uncertainty, our natural response isn't always to bow down to God. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the fact is we will bow down to something - it's just a matter of to whom or what we will bow.
...our natural response isn't always to bow down to God.
The fact of the matter is that when we are going through trials, the last thing we want to do is surrender to God, we would rather throw a tantrum, or throw things. We desire to scream about how unfair our situation is and question why it is happening. And when that doesn't work, we tend to do one of two things: we either seek to gain some semblance of control (hold tighter to the trial we're encountering) or block out our reality altogether by distracting or numbing ourselves (ignore the issue entirely). However, in either case, we run the risk of 'worshipping' other things instead of God himself.
When we distract or numb ourselves with things like social media, sports, a Netflix series, or bingeing 12 chapters of a new book, we are giving our time and energy over to avoid the issue at hand and allowing ourselves to bow to the distraction. In the same way, when we try to control the situation, by absorbing ourselves in the science or facts, looking to ourselves to get through (ie. an 'I've got this' mentality), or potentially seeking a different higher power for answers, we are putting our trust in a different set of idols. But idols nonetheless.
We will bow down to something - it's just a matter of what we will bow to.
Israel is a prime example of this in Scripture, particularly in Exodus, as they have just escaped Egypt and are on their way to the promised land. After hearing God's laws from Moses, they are waiting for him to return from being in God's presence with the Law from Mt. Sinai (24:15-18). Here the Israelites aren't sure what has happened to Moses (having been on the mountain for almost 40 days), they're afraid of not having a leader, and they're uncertain of their decision to leave Egypt even after all that God did for them. This - this season of panic, stress, and uncertainty is the perfect cocktail to make them spiral, but their natural inclination is immediately to turn to other gods. In fact, they ask Aaron to make an idol for them to worship, he - despite being God's mouthpiece to Pharaoh - took their gold and gave them a calf to bow down to (32:1-35).
This is how they were choosing to regain control of their situation - they would still seek the guidance of a higher power, but it would be one they could manipulate with their offerings and worship.
...we either seek to gain some semblance of control... or block out our reality altogether by distracting or numbing ourselves...
While the answer is always right in front of us, we often turn to other things to get us through; God isn't naturally our first response. So, part of our challenge is to be aware. Aware of the natural tendencies we are drawn to so that we can refocus ourselves in the midst of a trial. My personal, auto-setting is to numb. I can scroll through Instagram for hours if I'm unsupervised and trying to escape my reality. However, since I'm aware that this is my tendency, I put limits on my time, and work to interrupt myself so that I'm reminded of where my time, attention, and energy should be directed. My husband distracts by playing hour upon hour of video games, while one of my sisters chooses to cram her schedule to overflowing to try to feel in control. And then I have a friend who tries to distract by taking in as much information as possible (yes, even learning can be used to avoid).
Our challenge is to be aware - aware of the natural tendencies we are drawn to so that we can refocus ourselves in the midst of our trials.
The first thing I would encourage you to do is track your patterns. Note what you tend to do when you feel out of control - do you try to distract or ignore the situation or regain control by reading 15 different articles? It is only when we can track these habits that we can work on our awareness and redirection. And when we can redirect and instead offer worship to God, that relief and peace can wash over us - and that's something I don't think control has ever given me.
Shalom,
Sarah Brummel
Addendum: I originally wrote this blog at the beginning of quarantine (March 2020), but a lot has changed since then and in a very short amount of time. In fact, the trials many were working through then (ex. being home with kids 24/7 and working, uncertainty with their jobs, isolation, etc.) seem desirable compared to what we're working through in May and June of 2020 (ex. confronting racism and personal biases, police brutality, protesting and violent riots, etc.). I would just add this to what I've already put together for this blog - the trials we face today probably feel heavier than those surrounding quarantine, or your health, or heartbreak. That's ok. They should. Years of systemic racism is a heavy trial to carry not just for those who have experienced discrimination, but also for those trying to learn and confront biases they've carried for years. But, despite this shift, all of these trials need to be brought before God. Work to surrender them to Him and, in that process, thank Him for carrying you through and for the millions of people who are praying, fighting, protesting, and working towards a more just system. -SB
Leave a comment...
- Which category do you naturally fall into? Do you tend distract or control the situation when you encounter trials? Or do you find yourself falling into another pattern to avoid coming before God?
- What do you do to snap yourself out of these patterns and refocus on God?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we seek to better understand what worship can look like for us when we are encountering trials, help us to stay focused on you, not allowing ourselves to create idols either of ourselves, science, or social media. Help us to be aware, to snap out of these habits we fall into so that we can remember that giving you praise and worship can bring peace and clarity in uncertain times, while reminding us that You are in control. Thank you for being our rock and our hope. -Amen
References:
RightNowMedia. (2013, September 10).What is Worship? from doctrine video bible study with Francis Chan - Bluefish TV. [Video file]. Retrieved from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7KeeM9lcgE&list=WL&index=84&t=0s]
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