Changing History

Changing History

One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2

THE MORAVIANS BEGAN A PRAYER MOVEMENT in the 1720s that lasted more than a century. Out of their dedication to corporate prayer came some of the first drops of a gushing stream we now know as the modern missions movement. God prompted some of them to go to the Caribbean islands to minister to slaves, and though the work was difficult and many died, a sense of responsibility for the unevangelized world began to spread within Protestant circles. Over the next two centuries and beyond, many Christians would dedicate their lives sacrificially for all to hear the good news of the Kingdom.

Things happen when we bring no agenda to God other than worshiping him. That’s what the leaders in Antioch seemed to be doing. The literal sense of today’s verse is that they were ministering to the Lord rather than asking him to minister to them. When we focus on worship, we are entering into the environment of heaven, where worship fills everything all the time. We cannot help being changed in that environment. God’s voice and his purposes become clearer. Divine thoughts begin to flow. The Holy Spirit speaks. And in the case of Paul and Barnabas, the Moravians, and many other people and groups who have encountered God in worship, things change. Plans unfold. World history takes a different turn.

One of the greatest things you can do for this world is to enter into the heavenly environment by worshiping God. Nowhere are you more aligned with truth and in sync with the created universe. You may be tempted at times to worship him in order to get something, but that isn’t worship. Come to him without any agenda other than loving him and anticipating his goodness—somehow, in some way, at some time of his choosing. The more you immerse yourself in his praises, the more you will carry the aroma of heaven with you. You may hear his voice or sense his purpose. And this world will undoubtedly be the better for it.

The worship of God is not a rule of safety—it is an adventure of the spirit.