When God Reminded Me Who Worship Is Really For

Learning to Be Present

After things began to settle, I became more open to learning. I started working through my list of questions, researching the practices I was encountering and listening more carefully to the people around me.

One of those practices was reading from the siddur, the Jewish prayer book. I came to understand that a siddur is not simply a collection of human traditions. It includes biblical passages, blessings, and prayers shaped across generations of Jewish worship. Different Jewish and Messianic communities may use and understand its liturgy in different ways.

I also began reflecting on the Christian church I came from. It had meaningful patterns and traditions that were not all stated as direct biblical commands, and I had participated in many of them without question. That realization helped me approach unfamiliar practices with greater humility. I told myself, “This is where I believe the Lord has me. I can be present, listen, and learn without pretending I understand everything.”

When Worship Felt Unfamiliar

The worship music was another adjustment. Many songs were entirely in Hebrew, some moved between Hebrew and English, and others used melodies or words I recognized from Christian worship. When I knew the melody, I felt connected. When the language and music were unfamiliar, I struggled to engage.

One day during worship, I felt especially frustrated. I silently prayed, “I can’t connect. I don’t know the words. I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

In that quiet moment, I sensed a question in my spirit: “Who said the worship was for you?”

I received it as a personal correction, not a judgment on anyone else’s way of worshiping. I had become so focused on whether the experience felt familiar or fulfilling to me that I had lost sight of the purpose of worship: turning my attention toward God.

What Changed When My Focus Shifted

I stopped demanding that every lyric feel immediately accessible and began focusing on the Lord. I imagined God receiving worship from people across languages and cultures. Revelation 7:9 describes a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne. Remembering that vision helped me hear Hebrew worship not as a barrier, but as one expression within a much larger chorus.

As my focus shifted, I began to experience the connection I had been longing for. It did not come from forcing an emotion or understanding every word in the moment. It came as I offered my attention to God and remained open to learning.

Quietly, I came to understand that worship was not meant to center my comfort. It was an offering to God. Yet, as my heart realigned, I found that He graciously met me there, too.

What I had been searching for was waiting on the other side of surrender, humility, and a willingness to learn.

Have you ever resisted something unfamiliar, only to discover that it invited you to grow?

iamgesher

All Author Posts