Imagining Ourselves into Worship
Musings from the Garden
By Peggy Wyar
Imagining Ourselves into Worship
I Chronicles 29:17-18 KJV
“I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee”
Can we imagine ourselves as generous people so that we offer our gifts willingly, without compulsion or regret? I believe our imagination is a God given gift, and, if rightly used, can serve God in helping us worship Him more fully.
Imagine yourself passionately loving God as you do laundry for your family. Imagine yourself enjoying God’s pleasure as you sweep and mop the floor. Imagine yourself being able to encourage the stranger you meet at Walmart. Imagine yourself giving your time to a friend who needs to talk. Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you picture yourself being all this and more?
I think that’s what the above scripture is about. King David prayed that this generosity and joyfully given outpouring would be kept forever in the imagination of the congregation who were present. The thoughts and memories of what they had seen that day he hoped would become part of their hearts. He prayed that God’s people would picture the event, see themselves as abundantly generous, and God would then use it to prepare their hearts for other ways of pouring out their worship to the Lord.
What is worship? According to Romans 12:12, our reasonable worship is offering our bodies as living sacrifices. This means serving (worshipping) the Lord in our giving and praising, in our caring and comforting, and in all the ways we work and play in the Lord.
So, imagine yourself a lover of God. Imagine yourself a kind friend. Imagine yourself a mighty prayer warrior. Imagine yourself a set-free child of God. As you imagine, you are framing your mind. Within this framework, you can more easily build the righteous life God has in mind for you. You can begin to act on what you imagine. You can cooperate with the transformation that God is completing in you.
If your imagination tends toward the negative, you may imagine yourself a failure. You may imagine yourself unable to be selfless. You may imagine yourself an angry person. You may imagine yourself right into defeat and hopelessness.
But God has graciously given us His word that is living and able to change our minds. As we read His message of hope and redemption, we can imagine ourselves being what He says we are in Christ Jesus.
Imagine that!