Thursday, July 21, 2011

Spiritual Depression: Being Sucked in by The World....a Worship Leader's Perspective

Psalm 73 was a Psalm written by Asaph, a professional worship-leader.  It chronicles his struggle with the world and the lack of limitations on those that don't follow God.  You can hear in his voice (in this song) his depression as sometimes following his beliefs instead of the liberty he sees around him in the world.  In verse 13 he starts a pity-party of how he has "acted" in such a way that honors God and leads others, yet he still struggles.


We all, who follow Jesus, find ourselves in times like this.  We start measuring our Christian actions against the world, measuring our purity and "sanity" with that of the world around us.  We forget that the key to our spiritual walk is not perfection in a pure heart, but in the relationship and worship of the One who gives that purity in spite of what's in our heart.  It's not whether or not we find ourselves worshipping idols at times in our lives, because we all will..., it's whether or not we realize it and try to burn them, returning to a worship of only God and Him alone.  It's not whether or not we find ourselves at times chasing other things that make us happy, for we all will..., but that when we realize what we are doing, we return to the only relationship that can truly make us whole.

There is only one way, in my journey, that can insure that I "catch" myself when drifting off-course:


*** Are we playing a part in God's story or are we inviting God to play a "bit-part" in ours?


When God is a piece of our story, it allows us to add other idols to our mix of "what makes me happy."  We put our relationship with God on a shelf with all kinds of other idols, measuring the happiness factor of different idols, switching from one to the other in an attempt to keep life elevated.  I know that to be true because it is my struggle.

When we decide to play a bit-part in God's story, we become part of something bigger than ourselves...part of a story that started with Creation and will end with the coming of The Lamb and our complete Justification.  It's a story that crowds out, by it's very existence in our daily life, all other idols.  It does this by our surrender to being a background actor to God's story and looking at life around us, realizing that the world just doesn't realize they are in God's movie...they still think they are writing a personal movie about them.

It makes me feel better to read Psalm 73, seeing another Worship Leader that struggles with what he sees around him in the world.  I know that I could make more money, get more happiness if I would just live like the world...but the Holy Spirit, luckely, keeps me in check and reminds me that I am a part of God's story...He is not just a part of mine.  He IS my story....and so I try to live my life reflecting His story....The Gospel.

I will fall, I will stray, I will find myself off-course....may I always be quickly reminded who this story is truly about....and it's not ME!

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