Worship and Magic

August 11, 2010 in Worship with 3 Comments

I was in church last Sunday, and we had just finished a time of corporate, then individual prayer.  The lights had been brought low, and now a crescendo was about to happen.  The worship leader started the song “Glory to God”, by Fee Band.

I love that song.

As we traveled through the verses and the chorus, we finally arrived at the bridge.  It’s such a powerful moment in that song.

“Take my life and let it be, all for You and for Your glory.  Take my life and let it be Yours.”

My open hands shot upward, my eyes closed tightly, and I sang louder than before.  In that moment, I was offering my entire life to God as an offering.  And I meant it from my heart.

But in the middle of this moment, something weird happened.  In this moment of surrender, I found myself wanting something in return.

Magic.

I became full aware that I was giving God surrender, and I was expecting magic in return.  I wanted God to magically transform my life into a life lived for His glory, and I was only willing to sing a song to get there.

While my surrendered heart was what He wanted, my expectation of a magical personal transformation was not.

In essence, I was saying, “Here I am God.  I’m raising my hands.  I’m singing loudly.  I’m reconnecting with you.  And because I’m doing this stuff, it’s Your turn.  Change me, right now, in this moment.  Make it magic.”

I wonder how many times we do this as we sing our worship songs?  We surrender our hearts to God, and then expect an instantaneous transformation of our lives.  We expect magic.

The problem with this is that God is not a magician.  He’s a lover.

So for me, in that moment of surrender, while God was very pleased, He also knew that a life lived for His glory will take a ton of work on my part.

Surrender in worship on Sunday means that on Monday, I’ll need to ask people for financial donations for community restoration projects in El Salvador.  It means I’ll need to be as kind to my wife as I am to my business associates.  It means I’ll continue to care for my Dad in these final years of his life, even though I need more margin than his needs can afford.

And while the Spirit of God will walk with me and empower me, it’s my decision to live a life for God’s glory.  It can and will include moments of transcendence and wonder, but it probably won’t include magic.

About Gary: I explore the intersection where Christianity, creativity, and leadership converge. I wrote a book about that intersection called PURSUING CHRIST. CREATING ART.

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  • Kim Quinn

    The problem with this is that God is not a magician. He’s a lover.

    So for me, in that moment of surrender, while God was very pleased, He also knew that a life lived for His glory will take a ton of work on my part.

    Wow! I am printing this out for my Bible. I keep stuff that has moved me, provoked deep thought, or kicked me in the spiritual tail, in there so I can go back to them when I'm reading in the mornings. This one did all three.

  • halswift

    Very powerful. It's so much easier to surrender in the middle of a worship service and forget about Monday morning in the real world. We forget that to worship Him "in Spirit and Truth" is both a Sunday morning and a Monday morning deal. Where is the truth in how we live and worship Him if we do one and not the other?

    God is a lover, not a magician. And we are His "beloved" not His disconnected and distant audience.

    (P.S. And he won't try and sell us any "magical" devices either.)

  • MikeSchwiebert

    Gary:

    This is really good. I really like this.

    I, too, am guilty of wanting the shortcut, but God reveals Himself in the process.

    Thanks for sharing this.

    Also, I really like your PS in your story. That gave me a good laugh.