This past week I had the opportunity to go to Brown City Camp to help lead worship for Senior High Students. Every year there is a worship service in the main tabernacle that is youth lead. So this year the band that I played with lead over 2000 people into the throne room of God. Now the songs that we decided to play were not the typical church camp songs. However, we did play "Amazing Grace" and "Jesus Paid it All," but that was our extent of hymns. Even still they weren't the kind of hymns that you'd find in the hymn book with piano and organ. We played them with a more contemporary feel.
There was one song in particular that I wasn't sure how well it would go over with the adults. The name of the song is "Arms Open Wide" and it's off of the new Hillsong United CD, you'll find it at the end of this post. We, as a band, had played it a couple of times during the Senior High sessions, but I was still kind of leery about how well it would go over with the adults. Chris, our leader, had put it in the order of service after the speaker was done giving his message, and while people were supposed to come down to the alter for prayer, guidance, and what-not.
So while the speaker gave the alter call we began to play the song. As Chris began to sing the first verse I had a sense of peace come over me. It was a weird feeling, not that I've never had that kind of feeling before, but I wasn't sure why I was having the feeling. But as we continued to play adults all around the tabernacle began to stand and worship in total surrender. God was doing some pretty amazing things with the people in the service.
There was one man in particular that I saw sitting towards the back that caught my attention. As we built up the song and went into the bridge, which is the "big" part of the song for those of you who are not music savvy, this man who had to be in his mid to late 70s stood up and just opened his arms, and without reserve, began to worship God as if there was no one else in that big tabernacle. It was at that moment that God spoke to my heart and said that he can speak to ANYONE through ANY song, NO MATTER WHAT generation they're from. When I got that sense of peace I had to look down at my feet because I almost lost my composure while I was playing, which is never a good thing. But for the remainder of the service I had to look at my feet because I know if I would have looked up I would have lost all composure.
What I'm trying to say is that we should NEVER underestimate God. He is alive and well and he is working in old and young alike. But my question to you is, what are you doing to help show his love to others? I'm not just asking you this question, I'm asking myself this question too. God loves you and all he wants you to do is to run to him with "Arms Open Wide" and show others that love as well.
