Elevate and Chasing a Feeling

This is a picture my friend Justin took last night at an event called Elevate. Elevate is an event that happens a couple times a year where the entire creative team from all of the Hillsong comes together and worships and is challenged and inspired by the words spoken. The night was epic. Joel Abell brought a great message about the unforced rhythms of grace and definitely challenged me as to how I am going to live life this year. It was what happened on the way home though that I really received a revelation from God as to what I’ve been doing and what I am to do.

I was walking home from Maccas at about 10:30 and started praying and talking to Jesus about how amazing the night was and how I’m so thankful to be here and be a part of it. Now, I’ve been a fan of Hillsong music for around three years and I came down here with certain expectations of what I would see, hear, and feel during church/worship/whatever. God revealed to me that lately in times I’ve worshiped, I’ve been worshiping to try to get a feeling to come over me. I’ve been seeking an emotional state where I just start weeping during worship because of what’s going on. Then God whispered these words into my ears, “Don’t seek a feeling. Seek me.”

I’ve talked about how worship is more than a feeling before, but this really hit me last night as during the night, Joel Houston talked about freedom in worship and not abiding to the, “raise your hands during the chorus, sway during the verse” model we sometimes get caught up in. As people were really pressing into God and seeking God in that time, as I was pressing into and seeking after God in that time, worship felt different than it has since I’ve been here. It wasn’t about getting this mushy feeling inside. It was about worshiping God because he’s God.

Holy are You, God.
Holy is Your Name.
With everything I’ve got
My heart will sing “How I love You.”