I think we all have said this or heard someone said this of our worship time in church.

“Wow, God showed up!!! Felt the presence of God!!!” or

” I felt like the presence of God was not there. He did not show up today.”

I think something is wrong with this kind of thinking. And the more we think this way, the more we will try to manufacture the presence of God. Why?

Number 1: God is omnipresent.

He is always there. He shows up all the time. He is never late. When the church gathers, He is there. We all heard about the “WORSHIP EXPERIENCE”. We have even branded the term. The problem with the experience is that we are assuming that as worshipers we are summoning for God to come. We think of worship as our initiative for his presence to come. We assume that worships begins with the worshiper and not the object of our worship – God. I am reminded of the prophets of Baal summoning baal to show up.

Number 2: Worshipers who worship in spirit and in truth are summoned and called by the King.

A worshiper doesn’t care if the lyrics is posted on easyworship or on a Manila paper – he is called by the king to worship. Since he is summoned by the King, he comes early, prepares his heart and is ready to worship wholly before the King. He is not distracted by the music, or the drums. He can worship in a church that doesn’t believe in using guitars and he can worship in a church that has loud sounds. He doesn’t care if it is Don Moen or HillSongs. He is called to worship – he will worship.

We do not summon the King; the King summons us. He breathes life into us. It is God who speaks light into the darkness; it is God who commands into the tunnel, “Lazarus, come forth!” And it is we who respond. – Jared Wilson, Gospel Wakefulness.