Worship: The Kingdom is Here

This is going to be a shorter post, but the message is no less powerful!

Oftentimes, during worship, Julia, the worship leader, will give us specific instructions. This time, she told us to close our eyes, and picture Jesus in our mind.

I did. I looked up to see his face, and I saw a hand reaching down to me. I knew he wanted me to rise to my feet, but I was resisting, for some reason.

“I’m not worthy,” I thought.

“I’ve made you worthy,” A gentle whisper spoke into my mind. A surge of emotion rose from my gut. “Tell me you are worthy.”

“I’m worthy,” I thought.

Instantly, my view of him changed. He was further away and beckoning for me to follow him, but I was rooted in place.

“Follow me,” he said. Again, in the gentlest, most loving voice you can imagine.

“I want to follow you,” I said.

“That’s not following me.”

“I will follow you.”

“What about now? Are you following me now?”

Meaning erupted in my mind. Having the best intentions wasn’t the same as acting on them. “I am following you,” I corrected myself.

Again, my view of him changed. He was only a half step ahead of me, flinging his arms out excitedly as he showed me his glorious kingdom. We were walking through a field of knee high grass, all of it glittering in dew that made it look like everything was glowing in a soft light. In the distance, I saw an enormous city, all in shades of gold.

“Do you like it?” he asked. No words were necessary from my end. “Open your eyes and see that the kingdom is now.”

I opened my eyes, back in the dimly lit room where we were worshipping God. Everything looked the same. But everything was different at the same time.

I looked around and saw a faint candle glow coming from everyone in the room. It was easier to see on the people who were further from the lights illuminating the room, but the people who were closer to the light shone even brighter.

It made me think of how we are all the light, made in the image of God. If we stay away from Him, our beauty will barely be seen. It’s still there, but it’s hidden.

But when we draw closer to the Light, we shine brighter, because it’s no longer just us, but Christ in us!

Anyway, that’s what I saw during worship, and I wanted to encourage you all to look for ways in which the Kingdom of God is evident now!!