United We Stand

There's a power I feel when I hold someone's hand. It's a different kind of power for each person's hand I hold. For example, I feel something different when I hold my mom's hand, when I hold my boyfriend's hand, when I hold my best friend's hand, or when I hold my three-year-old nephew's hand. Regardless of who's hand I have the pleasure of holding, I feel a power. It's a power that cannot be contained nor can it fully be explained. But it's power that, for a moment, that person and I cannot be stopped; we are invincible. 

There's a power I feel during worshipping God through music. It's a different kind of power for each song that gets played. For example, I feel something different when a slower worship song is played or when an upbeat, beat-on-the-instruments song is played. Regardless of the song, I feel a power. It's a power that cannot be contained within the four walls of a sanctuary nor can the presence of God be fully explained outside of that room. But it's a power that, for a moment, no matter what else is occurring in life outside of those walls, it's just God and me together. 

There's a power I feel when I hold someone's hand during worship. There's an even greater power I feel when the person on the microphone stops singing in the mic, and it's just the group of people singing together before God. There's an EVEN GREATER power I feel when both of those are combined. It's an absolutely breathtaking power. It's a power that, just for a moment, the body of Christ is finally united once again. 

John 17:23 in the New Living Translation says this: "I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me." Jesus is speaking to our Father, asking that because the Father is in Him, may Jesus also be in us, so that we can experience unity and so that we can know that the Father loves us. 

There was a moment I had during a worship service where I completely relinquished everything I had weighing me down to my Father. The worship team was worshipping straight from the heart, and so was I... And so was everyone in the room, including my best friend beside me. We were on the floor, bowing before the King, and pouring our hearts to Him. A few moments later, she reaches over, grabs my hand, and we raise our arms up high in worship. We were declaring our submission to the King. We were declaring that we are experiencing the power that He has placed over and throughout the room. In that moment, we were experiencing unity. It was a moment I will never forget, because, in that moment, I experienced God and His love and His unity in a way that was truly remarkable. 

Imagine if we took that same power outside of the four walls of a sanctuary. Imagine if we lived metaphorically holding someone's hand. Imagine if we lived holding God's hand! Imagine if we, instead of keeping His power contained, we, as Jesus says, "experience such perfect unity that THE WORLD will know" of God's love. Imagine if, just for a moment, we decided to trust God, grab His hand, and walk beside Him throughout life. Just imagine...