THE HEART OF WORSHIP

Originally published by Blessed Is She

Rhythm is a dancer, it’s a soul companion; you can feel it everywhere.

These lyrics by the famed German group Snap from decades ago immediately transport me back in time, perhaps even to a particular moment. The relationship between music and memory is powerful, and new research suggests how these memories can positively work even for therapeutic effect. Given my father’s musical background, music was deeply ingrained in me; however, the gift of music took on greater meaning after my conversion in 2004.

I still remember that late evening as I waited for my husband to return from work. A friend had gifted me Don Moen’s live concert CD featuring the famous “God will make a way”.

Being an atheist at the time, Gospel music meant nothing more than just pleasant musical accompaniments. However, that evening, quite unfamiliar to me, I felt a great tug in my soul for something deeper and reached out to play my friend’s CD. As I watched the live choir resound in praise, I also watched a teary congregation lost in something that seemed like deep peace, something so foreign to me at the time.

Though my soul was so lost, I couldn’t deny the beckoning of God before me. His presence was so real, so palpable that I began to weep, not knowing why. As much as I resisted, I knew I was in the presence of Someone greater than myself.

Overtaken with awe, I began to sing and inadvertently even raised my hands, experiencing a rich pleasure I had never tasted before, something I ardently longed for all those years. That was 15 years ago, and the rich pleasure of worship only continues to sweeten over the years.

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