Now Is The Time

What did you think when you read that title?

Depending on your age, you may have remembered a typing class,
and typing (over and over and over!) the phrase "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country."  Or you may have thought of some other oft-repeated phrase from some other season of your life.  If you Google that phrase - now is the time -  you'll actually get more than 3.9 million results.  Amazing, isn't it?

When you read the title, your mind might possibly have immediately gone to a worship song.  "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" is a song that we've been singing in our worship services for a few years now.  And when we sing that, we often mean something like this:  "It's Sunday morning so it's time to go and worship."  In fact, I think that is usually what we mean.

But is worship limited to a time slot on Sunday morning?  Or on Saturday, if that's when you meet together to worship.  Is worship limited to any particular time slot?

Could we not just as easily sing (or say) now is the time to worship at any time during the week?  On Thursday morning in the shower?  Or on Monday morning doing the laundry?  Or on Friday evening when we pick up the pizza for dinner?

Take the shower as an example.  Here in the US, we take water for granted.  We assume that every time we turn a faucet, water will come out.  We assume that there will always be plenty of water whenever and wherever we might need or want it.  But I, for one, can testify that that is not always the case.

When we moved here to to the mountains a few years ago, it was a time of drought.  Extreme drought.  Or whatever is the worst category of drought.    It was very dry.  During one of the first years we lived here, we only had about six inches of rain for the entire year!  We have already had more than that this year, and we're not even out of February!  And during those drought years, on more than one occasion, our spring (our primary water supply) dried up.  So, I turned a faucet and guess what I got.  Nothing.  Not a single drop. 

Having lived through those experiences, I no longer take water for granted.  Even the experience of standing in a shower is a joyful time of thanksgiving.  And as I express my thanks to my Heavenly Father for the water that comes through the showerhead, I am worshipping.  Giving thanks is one way to express worship.  So, even the shower time becomes "time to worship".

There's a chair in the corner of my bedroom, by a window.  The chair belonged to my mother, so for that reason alone, I love to sit in it.  But I love to sit there because that's my "prayer place".  My place to have my quiet time.  To pray.  To read the Scriptures. To worship.

On sunny mornings, as the sun gets up over the mountains, it shines through the window right onto the pages of my Bible.  That brings me such joy!  In those moments, it is almost as though Jesus, the Light of the World, is Himself illuminating the pages of Scripture for me.  In those moments, I worship.  That is one of my "now is the time to worship" moments.

More often that not, the emphasis in "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" is placed on the word worship.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  But let's shift the emphasis.  Instead of what, let's put the emphasis on when. 

Not just on Sunday morning.
Not just at some other "appointed" time.

Now.
Now is the time to worship.
Right now.
Right where you are.
Right in the middle of what you are doing.

Press the "pause" button in your life for a minute.  Look around.  Focus on where you are and with whom and what you are doing and why.

And give thanks to God.....

for the place,
and the circumstances,
and the activity,
and the reason.

That very act - pausing and giving thanks - is an act of worship.  Of acknowledging the Giver of all good things.  Of acknowledging His worth.  Of giving credit where credit is due. Thanksgiving is one of the ways we express our worship.

Maybe you're at work.  Be thankful that you have work to go to.
Maybe you're doing laundry.  Or picking up toys or dirty clothes.  Be thankful for the clothes and the family who dirtied them.  Maybe you're taking a break from meal preparation for a little computer time.  Be thankful for the food you are preparing, for the privilege of preparing it, for the electricity and the kitchen equipment to prepare it, that you had finances to purchase the food.........and the list could go on. 

Too often, I'm afraid, we just go through the activities of life on "auto-pilot" and miss out on so many opportunities for worship. 

So that's the challenge for the day.  Slow down and pay attention.  Look for all the "grace gifts" from your Heavenly Father that are part of your day.  And give Him thanks.

Don't wait for Sunday.

Now is the time to worship!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.........Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!"    (Psalm 103:1-5, 21-22 ESV)