Authentic Worship

We can all worship God from a place of complete honesty.

How can we do this?

1. By admitting the truth of what is in our hearts.  We have to be honest about how we feel.

Our culture does not encourage honesty.  Sometimes we can pretend to be someone we are not.  We want to project an image of ourselves that isn’t true (eg Facebook).  We fall victim to the lie that we need to have to all together.  This can cause layers to build over our hearts that disconnect us from others and from God.

We are free to come to God just as we are without fear of rejection or judgment.  
The Psalms teach us how to pour out the ‘raw honesty’ of our hearts to a God.

Psalm 6:1-7
Psalm 22:1-8

David knew how to come before God without pretence.  He spoke of the truth of what he was feeling and knew he could trust God to not turn him away.   David knew where to bring his heart.

2. By realising that God is bigger than our mess

We can lift our eyes to a God knowing that he not only hears us but that he is bigger than the circumstances we face.

The Psalms show us, not only now to be honest, but how to put things into perspective. 
Psalm 6:8-10
Psalm 22:22-31

Here we see a shift for David where he begins to see things from Gods perspective.

The bible is a wonderful way to change our view from what is directly in front of us, or what we are feeling, to what God sees and what is the truth.  We are able to see through the eyes of eternity instead of through the limitation of our earthly vision.

God is the lens that we see our circumstances through, not the other way round.  

(There can be times of incredible loss or pain.  In these seasons we are to reach out to those around us and give incredible love and grace.  We were not created to go through this life alone.  We are made in the image of God, a beautiful picture of community in the Trinity.   We need each other.  In these times, God does not abandon us, he sits with us where we are and loves us through it.  Let’s do that for one another.) 

When we are honest with God we are able to worship him freely.  There is no need to perform or cover up the mess.  We can lift our voices and cry out with openness without fear of rejection.
Then we can lift our eyes and know that God is bigger than our mess.  We are not stuck! 
And the truth in the bible helps us see our lives and this world through God’s eyes.   Let’s worship God in the freedom he has provided us.

Discussion Questions
1. Do you find it hard to be honest about how you feel?  With God, others or even yourself?
2. How does that affect you? 
3. How does it affect your relationships?  
4. How often do you tell God how you feel? 
5. What bible verses help you in times of difficulty?

Think of a time that God’s perspective changed your experience of a situation

Prayer
Let’s bring our needs before God.  Open your hearts to him.  Take time to be honest.

Let’s take a Psalm and pray through it to help us pour out our hearts, then lift our eyes to see our mess through Gods eyes.