Interrupted by Grace {Day 28}: Worship

I do not where to begin to share about ways I was interrupted by grace this weekend, because I was on a retreat!  Better typed, a reTREAT!!

My dear friend from high school, Kim, invited me to join her for a retreat her mother-in-law was coordinating that was about equidistant between her home in Virginia and mine in Pennsylvania.  My in-laws were available and willing to help with the kids, since the husband is busy with end-of-semester responsibilities; our calendars had already been synced for the weekend over some plans that fell through.  Surely there's no coincidence there, pure providence.

We had a fantastic weekend.  As I read through my notes this morning I was wondering, What in the world should I share on the blog today?  There are so many things!

I'm going to give you the biggest thing, the interruption by grace that covered the whole weekend: a blanket of worship.  The women gathered - who came from a very different denominational background than I - worshiped God with vigor, joy, hope, thanksgiving, and sincerity, especially in their singing!  They gave the Lord their all.  Blessed be His name!

At this moment, I think of the verse, How good and pleasant it is when God's people dwell together in unity.  Psalm 133:1  We sang songs, many that I had never heard, but I knew the lyrics.  They came straight from Scripture.  So many minutes were spent this weekend speaking and singing to God what He has revealed about Himself in His Word.

So this morning I sit, thinking about how worthy God is of our worship and praise.  During one of our quiet prayer and reflection times this weekend I wrote in my journal,

No reason NOT to praise you!

I hope it's not presumptuous to include you in these statements with myself:  We get caught up in the details and derailments of life; we forget our Lord is always worthy of worship; we neglect praising Him and our souls languish.  But there is no reason NOT to praise the Lord.  He' is always worthy, despite our sin, circumstances, or satan trying to persuade us otherwise!

I experienced some personal interrupted by grace moments this weekend, but I need to share with you the message that is for all of us, one that will individually and corporately transform us.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100

May the Lord fill our hearts with praise today.