Worship Without Words

The soft tones of the piano and the smooth voice of the violin blended in exquisite harmony and followed in measure by guitar, voices, eyes and even a few hands lifted heavenward. Yet out of my mouth came not one sound... still my heart was full as I stood in His presence and worshipped without words.

One of the most frustrating things about being so sick for so long with asthma, cough, infection, etc... was the loss of my voice. Last Monday a colleague called me on the phone and it took me three tries to get any kind of sound to my voice just to vocalize a scratchy, weak and practically whispered "hello". Today at church my voice was still hoarse and scratchy, yet I could talk... though it wasn't pretty. Singing, however, was simply out of the question. And for someone who loves to sing, especially songs for her King, it's, well, words fail to adequately describe the emotion... the disappointment... the discouragement...

Yet this morning was a very good lesson for me as I simply mouthed the words and, even more importantly, pondered them in my heart... and was still before Him. Voice and song are not the only instruments used in worship, though I confess it's my tendency to lean on singing as a primary form of it. Worship's true instrument, though, is really in many ways rather an attitude of heart that is not limited to song, but carries through every moment of the day, through our actions and interactions, through the very the details of life... through living each day such a life that brings honor and glory to the One who holds our heart... it also comes in the quietness and just being still in His presence, knowing that He is God. For me this morning I guess you could say that it took losing my voice to truly find it.