WorSHIP!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of leading worship at Life Community Church in Shippensburg, Pa. I remember one particular moment during the first congregational song where my mind went blank on the lyrics. I recovered in time by looking down at the video monitor, but that initial fear of having to stumble through the wrong lyrics (or worse yet stop the song) crept into my mind. The service actually went very well and the song in question flowed smoothly, but my initial reaction of fear is what is prompting this post. For the next 3 songs in that service, my attitude of reverence and awe for God was dampened by a fear of forgetting lyrics. Worse yet, I found myself hovering around the video monitor and glancing down frequently even though I knew the lyrics well. During the prayer before the last song, I heard God asking me "Why are you afraid? Am I not in My own house?". The last song I was finally able to turn that fear over to God, and we collectively offered "You Are God Alone" to Him as a heartfelt prayer. I'm thankful that God reminded me in such a direct way that fear has no place in our walk with Him.