Me Myself & I

It was lunch break on Monday, or I’m not sure, we were having a break anyways. I don’t know why but we (2 co-workers & I) started to talk about the way we “worship” God with our songs. My friend was saying that our worship focuses on the “I” and “we” a lot when it should focus on God. “I will give you all my worship” / We fall down, we lay our crowns” / “I bless you Lord” / “Lord who am I” / “I will not forget you” and the like are examples or phrases we sing. I was a bit perplexed and I told my friend “But when we read the Psalms, that are actual songs that David and others wrote, we see a lot of ‘I’’ and ‘we” we agreed that it was true and oh well, the conversation did not go much farther. “There’s a middle ground a guess.” Was my conclusion to them.

I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve been watching and listening myself praying. To my surprise I noticed that my prayers and thoughts were full of I’s, everything is about me. I’m not talking about the time I spend praying for myself, which has its proper and good place in my relationship with Jesus, but I’m talking about times when it’s time to simply let God be God. I was surprised to start disliking the way I prayed or thanked God. I’ve started to feel sick of focusing everything on myself when I talked or sang to God. At first glance, I didn’t think that the way I praised or worshiped God was self-centered, because in saying “I bless you Lord”, I’m using “I” but then “you” and “Lord”. So it’s not like it’s all about me. That’s right. I believe that there is a proper place and time to include myself, but isn’t there a proper time to exclude myself in my prayers?

I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it and I’m just starting to, but why do I need to include a part of me in the praises I offer to God? Why can’t I erase myself totally from the offering? Why can’t I let God be God alone? I am not sure how to explain this, but I feel like there is too much of me and that I feel (probably unconsciously) the need to be recognized as the one who gives God the praises, the one who is humbled in His presence –again there is and must be a time for that sort of worship. Can’t my prayers and my worship be selfless, totally selfless?

“The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name –He is holy. The King is mighty, he loves justice –you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy.” –Psalms 99:1-5

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him…” –Daniel 2:20-22

That sort of worship offered to God must be really delightful in the sight of the Lord, it must smell like perfume to His nostrils, in a special way. Why? Simply because it’s all about Yahweh and no one else. The worshipper offers the best worship he can to God: He does not even mention his own name or a little “I” anywhere, he turns God to Himself (if I can say it that way), leaves an anonymous thank you note in His mail box. I’m not saying that God doesn’t know who praises Him when it’s done in “secret”, but I think that He delights in people who worship Him in total humility, excluding all but Yahweh.

There is a proper time for that kind of worship and I hope I can become more “selfless” as I pray and sing and talk to God. That I’d forget about me and simply lift the name of Jesus up so it’s all about Him and Him alone.

Bank for Native Missionaries: 14$ as of May 18, 2006
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