Renewal In Christ Ministries: Worship Leaders - Skip and Cindy

From Skip and Cindy

O the glory of his presence!         By Skip Clarquist

"When the trumpeters and singers were heard as a single voice praising and giving thanks to the Lord, and when they raised the sound of the trumpets, cymbals and other musical instruments to 'give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever,' the building of the Lord's temple was filled with a cloud. The priests could not continue to minister because of the cloud, since the Lord's glory filled the house of God." 2 Chronicles 5:13-14

The event described in the scripture passage above beautifully describes a visitation of God's glory upon his people. If you continue to read on in 2 Chronicles through chapter 6 and 7 you will see that God's glory becomes even more present. After a lengthy prayer by Solomon, God sends fire from heaven to consume the offerings of the people of Israel; and once again the cloud of God's glory is so present that the priests cannot even enter into the temple. The people of Israel who were present fell prostrate on the ground with their faces down and worshipped. This is the result of true worship. This is the result of "pressing in."  This is a little taste of Heaven.

What is the purpose of this kind of worship? Why is it important that we "experience" God's glory? So what? Does it really matter? . . . How about this? . . . Your life, a life that will never end, will never, ever be the same again! Once you experience God and his indescribable glory you will thirst after him. You will look around every corner, in every place, go to every length to bask in his glory and be touched, healed and changed. You will seek to move from "glory to glory." In the very recesses of who you are "deep will cry out to deep." I'm convinced that God lets us get a taste of his very self so that we will continue to seek after him. And it is not so that we will feel warm and fuzzy. It is so we will be consumed with him; so that we will seek after him and the heaven he has prepared for us. God gives us these wonderful experiences of his manifest presence because he loves us so much that he wants us to be with him, united with him, one with him for all of eternity. Worship is serious business. We gladly sacrifice all that we are, and all that we have to run after God; to be united with him. It is indescribable, it is glorious, and it is the reason we were created.