Worship is a blessing, not an obligation.

Take it from someone who stands every week in church, singing songs of worship that he does not understand. I could be singing “Amazing Space” or “Blessed Sleep” for all that I know. And with my pronunciation, I very well might be!

You don’t appreciate things until they aren’t there.

For years, we have been blessed to be in churches with wonderful worship. Oh, I know that sometimes the music wasn’t the best. Some of the songs were not the easiest to sing. Some songs were old and stale, others fresh and new. Some songs were theologically weak, while others were rock solid.

But they were all in a language I could understand. I could sing those songs, and allow those words to express my heart toward Christ. I could declare His worth and glory. My mind and heart were directed toward my Savior.

But to be honest, it is difficult now. I don’t want church to be just a language experience. I wish someone could invent a spiritual vitamin that would load me up with Vitamin W!

Now don’t send me a hundred e-mails about the need to worship God all the time. I know that.
You don’t need to remind me that we are to worship in spirit and in truth. I understand.
You don’t even need to tell me that someday we will be able to worship. I know we will.

But there is something special about coming together with fellow believers, and corporately singing our praises to our Lord. It doesn’t matter to me if we sing hymns or choruses, old songs or new. It is just wonderful to be able to worship together.

I get so excited when we sing a song that I understand. Two weeks ago, we sang “I Need You More” in Russian. It is just a simple song, but I could understand the words. And it was so exciting to sing worship in a language that I could both say and understand. But that experience happens far too rarely for me!

So my encouragement is very simple—appreciate what you have. Your church may not have the greatest worship. Worship anyway. You might not like the songs—sing anyway. The songs or the music style may not be your preference, but get over it! Just worship.

I look forward to the day when I know Russian and Romanian well enough that I will be able to worship from the heart. But for now, I will worship from the overhead, guessing at the words I’m singing! But I will be worshipping….

An overhead-dependant missionary,

Andy Raatz