On July 31 2022, the usual 10:30 am church service at Bethel Church in Redding, California, was invaded by the holiness of the presence of the Lord. No one preached a sermon. There was very little interaction beyond the worship, and it was powerful. It was spontaneous, and yet the Lord had a plan.
For almost one hour, the worship team sang only two songs – repeatedly, yet they could have sung those two songs for eternity. And it would have seemed like a brief moment.
I felt the Lord ask me a question. First, He reminded me of what happened when Solomon’s temple to the Lord was dedicated. On that day, the priests and the Levites could not do their tasks because they were prostrate before the Lord of all lords. ( 2 Chronicles 5:14) The holiness of the Lord came in a thick blanket. No one could stand in that presence. I felt the Lord say, “What happened that day in Israel thousands of years ago is only a shadow of what is to come here on Earth.”
So this is the question I felt the Lord ask. “What will my people do when their worship team falls prostrate before me? What will you do when the team or even your pastors can’t rise from the floor to direct you? What if they could not sing a note, drum a drum, or play their guitars, violins, trumpets, or keyboards for 5 or 10 minutes or even an hour?”
What will my people do? Will they clear their throats, wondering when the next song will start? Will they get uncomfortable and shift from one foot to the other, looking around at each other while they wait for somebody to lead them? Or will they, in turn, bow before me as my holiness descends upon them?
There is a day when worshipers will come together in one body and in one Spirit, where they will not be solely dependent like children, waiting for others to tell them which way they should go or how they should worship Me.
My children, you don’t need somebody to stand between you and me in my presence. I delight in your worship teams; I delight in their sacrifice. My heart is turned to compassion, love, and mercy when I see how much they pour out. I minister to the musician’s aching hands. I soothe the vocalist’s tired voices. I rub my healing salve into the feet of the dancers.
But I’m now inviting those sitting in the congregation and those standing during worship time. Come pour out your heart in the same way your worship teams do. Sing to me from that same place of utter abandonment. Sing, move, and worship in the corporate place born from the depths of our relationship built in the secret place.
Now is the time to prepare yourself. There is coming a day when My presence will be so thick in the midst of you that your worship leaders will not be able to stand. They will be caught up in the glory of My presence. And it will be up to you. Will you allow yourself to be caught up in my glory as well? Come sing to me with your own unique song born from your heart.
©2022 Katherine Walden