God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
Psalms 68:1-4 ESV
Recently, we had a remarkable experience at the end of a class on speaking with other tongues. I pointed out that we could worship God with this wonderful gift. Paul said, “I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. (1 Cor. 14:15b)” I invited the students to stand and join me in singing to God with our spirit. Within a few seconds, the room was filled with the worship of God. There was such a powerful sense of His Presence it was hard to stand. In fact, the singing went on well past the scheduled end of the session. No one wanted to stop! Several received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It was spontaneous power.
As I was enjoying the wonderful Presence, I was reminded of the importance of our corporate worship. Most of us begin our services with worship music of some sort. One of the reasons we do this is to invite the Presence of God into our midst in a tangible way. He enthrones Himself on the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). When He does, the enemy is driven from our midst. Those who came weak and weary are refreshed. Those who were weighed down by the cares of life and the assault of darkness get a respite as Gods Presence dispels His enemies. For many, this is the only way they can get a moment of relief, clarity of mind to receive the things God has for them.
As we go to the gathering of the saints, let’s go with a determination to worship on purpose. It’s something we can all do that will help others to receive from God. There is power in His Presence.
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