A Glimpse of Heaven

We are in a sweet season right now with our church. God has moved us to a diverse community where, for the first time in two decades, our family blends into the crowd. This diversity surrounds us even on Sunday mornings, still considered one of the most segregated times of the week. One of the gifts of being part of this diverse congregation is that every Sunday, I get a glimpse of heaven.

Revelation 15:3-4, A Scene from Heaven, says: “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.’”

When I say that we are diverse, I’m not exaggerating. China, Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, and Central America are all consistently represented in our section of the sanctuary. Just as Revelation says that all the nations will come and worship, our church does so weekly. But this glimpse of heaven goes beyond the nationality of the worshipers.

Listening closely, you can hear multiple languages singing the same song. And if you look around for just a minute, you will see people using their whole bodies to worship. Hands raised, eyes closed, kneeling, standing, stomping feet, and clapping hands all happening simultaneously and in harmony. I’ve learned an important lesson through our worship times.

I’ve grown in my understanding of what a posture of worship encompasses, and it’s helped me to examine my heart in worship. Before we began attending our current church, I always pictured worship in heaven as orderly and uniform. I’m not sure why, other than the fact that I’ve mostly attended churches with fairly conservative worship styles. This isn’t to say that the worship songs or instruments themselves were conservative, but even with the loudest bands and most exuberant songs, very few people worshiped differently from their pew neighbors.

The thing is, I think the same is true about most of the people in our church. Their worship postures don’t always resemble each other; they are allowing their previous experiences to inform their current worship practices. They are worshiping in the way that is most comfortable for them. What may feel overzealous or extremely reserved to another is a result of that worshiper’s life experience. And when those life experiences intertwine, beautiful chaos develops.

Revelation 4:11 says “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” What it doesn’t say in this verse is what glory and honor encompass. Observing my fellow worshipers on Sundays has challenged me to look a little deeper at why I choose my worship posture.

Second Samuel records two stories that include King David’s posture in worship. In one he dances and shouts; in the other he fasts, worships alone in the house of God, and then breaks his fast. David worships God with his whole heart and body both times.

In 2 Samuel 6:13-15 King David danced with all his might. ^“When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” This isn’t the only way David worshiped.

Second Samuel 12 records David fasting in repentance for sinning against the Lord. He fasted for seven days, asking God to heal his son. Second Samuel 12:19-20 says “David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘he is dead.’ Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.”

When I quiet my heart during corporate worship, close my eyes, and position my mind and heart to worship God, I find myself raising or clapping my hands. I can shake off the concern of what worship is “supposed to look like,” and instead, I can take a cue from David and worship with my heart and body in a way that honors and glorifies God regardless of what it looks like to others.

This is why Sundays feel like a tiny picture of heaven to me these days. Every week I’m reminded that it doesn’t matter what language or style I choose for worship; as long as my focus is on God, he is honored and glorified.

Beth Walker is a football coach’s wife and mom of two energetic boys. She strives to encourage those around her to pursue their best lives in Jesus whether she is near the game field, in church, or at the local coffee shop. As a writer, Beth has been striving to find her voice through seeing Jesus in the ordinary and extraordinary of daily life. She blogs at Lessons from the Sidelines.

Photograph © Damion Hamilton, used with permission