get

I believe we have a common misunderstanding of worship today. A number of years ago I played percussion in a worship band. As a band, we wanted to lead the congregation in singing Chris Tomlin's song "Enough". The man who oversaw our group (an elder in the church, I believe, and a man whom I highly respect and admire) did not approve of the song, however, because he felt it focused not on God, but on us. Here are the lyrics:

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You're my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You're the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

Enough
Chris Tomlin

I disagreed at the time but I couldn't quite explain why. Today I read an email from a friend who recently had an encounter with someone who had the same sort of response to the song "Enough". This person was convinced that this song was not a Christian song because it never says "Jesus" or "God". Where is the focus?

Let me now explain the title of this blog and say something that may seem to be somewhat ludicrous. Get. Worship should be a time where we come to get from God. Yes, get from God. I believe that God receives glory when we *get* from Him. I believe that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

I've been reading a book for quite a while now (slowly but hopefully surely) called "Pleasures Evermore" (the title is taken from Psalm 16:11). And the part I am reading now has helped me to understand why I disagreed when I was told that the song "Enough" focuses too much on us and not enough on God.

The book exposes the common misconception we have of worship: that we come to *give* God something. How deceived can we be? Do we seriously think *we* can *give* anything to God? He owns everything! Do we think we can give Him glory? What? Does He lack any glory?! No! He is infinitely glorious!

Sam Storms (the author of the book) tells us that we need to come to God empty and hungry! Psalm 107:9 says, "For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good." How can we be satisfied if we are not thirsty? How can we be filled with what is good when we are not hungry? If we come to worship to give, it would seem that we plan to leave worship with less. Would it not?

But, if, on the other hand, we come to worship empty, needy, thirsty, hungry, and we come to God, crying out to Him that He is MORE than enough for ALL of our thirsts and ALL of our needs, will not the Giver of all good gifts (Matt. 17:11, James 1:17) fill, satisfy and meet all our needs? And when people see that it is He who is the giver, the one who blesses, the one who gives strength to the weak, the lover of our souls, the one who satisfies even the deepest longings of our soul...when people see that THIS is who our God is, then they will see how good He truly is and HE will be the one, who ultimately, gets all the glory and all the praise.

Point people to Christ. Show them that He is the one who satisfies. Worship to get.