As I was driving back from taking my mom and grandma to the Sanford airport just to the northeast of Orlando I was surprised by a completely spontaneous and random worship moment. It was spawned not by an inspiring anthem or a heart-felt ballad nor was it a rippin’ guitar solo or a well lit worship leader speaking exhortations. It was no more than a glance and a smirk that birthed a true and authentic experience of worship…
It is my normal habit on road trips to listen to a favorite bible teacher or an audio book while I’m logging the miles. I find that if something engages my mind to probe the depth of the scriptures while doing something as monotonous as driving I am just more alert all around. On the above occasion I was and still am as a matter of fact, in the middle of John Piper’s teaching on Romans. My kids and I were debating over what to listen to. They are fierce debaters for only 4 and 6 years old. I had decided to make an executive decision not to listen to the High School Musical soundtrack for the one hundred millionth time and take in some Piper instead. It was a somewhat dreary, rainy, melancholy kind of day. Good for contemplation. As I usually do, I asked the kids if they minded if I listened to John Piper. My 6 year old son came back with, “I don’t want to listen to John Piper…” His said Mr. Piper’s name with short, frustrated emphasis on the “J” in John and a very hard “P” upon his utterance of the J-ohn P-iper. He was very transparent in conveying his sentiment… When I looked back to give him a hard time he continued with the same perceived disdain, “He preaches the Gospel of God…” he said with such hard “G’s” I thought his tonsils might fly out. Then he smirked and gave me what we affectionately call a “side- look” and went about bothering his sister. He never gave it another thought. But I did.
That smirk and crooked side-look let me know a bit more was going on than his listening preference being disappointed. In that moment my son painted a clear picture for me of the understanding in his 6 year old mind and heart. He didn’t reeeally mind if we listened to John Piper because we had listened to Piper’s teaching in the car so many times before. That was our thing you see. I often listen to the Desiring God radio podcast on the way home from picking him up at school or just generally driving around town. He knew it was our thing and he knew I knew it was our thing. My son has a knack for asking inquisitive questions about faith and if I am listening to Piper one of his favorite questions is, “Is that true….?” This time he wasn’t asking questions wanting to be taught, he was indirectly letting me know just how much he had absorbed and was now teaching me. Not asking questions was a direct reflection of his understanding of other questions he had asked in the past. He had drawn some conclusions that, indeed, those things that he wandered about are true and he can use a phrase like “…the Gospel of God” with some understanding and authority. I inwardly exulted in revelation of God in Christ Jesus through the Gospel in the mind of my 6 year old son. Thus was the enormity of a tiny, unexpected occasion of worship. Worshipers look for opportunities to honor God but sometimes the opportunities sneak up on them. Those are the authentic God moments in life that sustain and feed our faith. I can’t wait for the next one…
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Written: 02/01/2008
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Category: Aaron Unthank
Comments: 3
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Aaron, this article was refreshing. The thought of casual, everyday incidents directing our hearts to worship, appreciate and glorify the Lord for His Hand in our lives is precious. It shows the Lord that the worshipper truly worships the Creator for who He is, not just because of what He does. It makes worship service at church, so much more meaningful, when we've spent a week of casual, personal and intimate worship moments throughout the week. Good stuff!
Great article! Isn't what God's really looking for in worship is that we have who He Is in our hearts, not just in words we sing or speak? As always Aaron, I love to hear what God is doing in your heart in worship because it inspires me - thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comments. I sincerely appreciate them and you both make good points. Seems like we tend to make worship so complicated and rigid that I think we miss out on a whole lot of worship that could otherwise go on in the ordinary events of a day. When our hearts and minds are open toward God ordinary things become God-centered and extra-ordinary...
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