Cary McCall put this Oswald Chambers quote on Facebook yesterday:
“If we have never had the experience of taking our commonplace religious shoes off our commonplace religious feet, and getting rid of all the undue familiarity with which we approach God, it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence.”
Some people are content to worship God in the same way all the time, and I cannot say that they do not stand in God’s presence.
However, I do regularly encourage people, especially the university and college students with whom I minister, to experience God in new ways. If you are looking to worship/experience God in fresh ways, let me offer three suggestions.
First, engage in spiritual disciplines and acts of worship with which your faith tradition has not familiarized you. If you usually worship God in a calm and quiet way, try worshipping in a more energetic, celebratory way. If you typically worship in a manner that is loud and jumpy, try sitting in silence with God.
Second, take trips that will allow you to worship and experience God in new ways. Mission trips, service trips, and retreats are just a few examples. Go to a culture, a city, or a neighborhood where you can see people worshipping God in ways that are different from your norm, and join them in worshipping.
Third, go to a worship activity of a group outside your faith tradition. This can be scary for some of us, especially if we grew up learning that our own little group of Christians is the only group going to heaven. However, remember that you don’t have to agree with someone on every issue in order to worship with that person. If that were necessary, each congregation would have just one member! God has worked through various groups of believers in multiple ways, and we get to benefit from a rich and diverse faith.
You don’t have to do all three of these. You might choose not to do any of them, of you might decide to do one or two. I have tried all of them, and God has blessed me through these experiences. I have grown closer to God through them, and they have increased my understanding of faith and worship.
I often hear people talking about “getting out of our comfort zones.” I encourage you to do so. See God in a new way, and take off your shows, for you are standing on holy ground.
