I love the power of worship through music. As I sit here listening to songs by Bethel Music and people like Kari Jobe & Josh Lavender, I can feel the Holy Spirit shooting out with every word sang. I don’t know where or when these songs were recorded, but every time I hear them I feel the presence of God heighten. “Would You come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in, let love come teach me who You are again. Would you take me back to the place where my heart was only about You and all I wanted was just to be with You.” Listening to these convicting lyrics I pause from typing, finding myself with closed eyes in awe and worship of God. I can feel the Holy Spirit right here in this coffee shop! God is wherever we are whether it be church, the mall, school or Starbucks.
For me, throughout my teen years, I felt my relationship with God was like a roller-coaster. I would go to a youth event and be at the top of the rollercoaster, then a couple weeks would go by and I would feel the descend. Then a camp would shoot me back up again. I know many can relate. However, we must remember when we go down God doesn’t hop off the ride, he stays in the seat next to us the whole time. He is always in the same place but sometimes our emotions can throw us off.
Thank the Lord our relationship with God is not based on our emotions. We aren’t always going to feel “on fire” for God, because to be honest it’s not always easy to follow Jesus. Our emotional highs can make us feel closer to Christ, but our relationship with God is NOT dependent on our feelings that come with it. Our emotions can honestly be messed up. Once a pastor was talking about this and said, “We should just trust what we feel in our heart…right?” Of Course we all said yes. He replied “Although many Christians say this, your heart is deceitful, therefore you should not trust your heart.” Although those words were shocking it really changed my way of thinking. It’s not hard to feel on top when surrounded by Christians, but when you get home continuing in your pursuit towards Jesus is of utmost importance. Even when you aren’t feeling super spiritual, you need to be consistent in worship and devotion after the high.
All this to say, no matter how we feel or where we are, God has dibs on the seat next to us. If we want Him there or not, He is strapped in for the whole ride. When we seek our God, He is here for us, His children. A Kari Jobe song just came on and her words couldn’t be more on point. “The more I seek you, the more I find you. The more I find you, the more I love You...This love is so deep it’s more than I can stand. I melt in your peace, it’s overwhelming” His love is so unconditional, as humans it’s hard to even comprehend. Thank You Jesus that I can feel You while I sit here in Starbucks. Thank You that Your love is overwhelming for us. And thank You for calling dibs on me!
