Waldo and I have an interesting relationship. As a child, I both loved and hated him, was drawn to him and repulsed by him, was joyous in his discovery and frustrated by his elusive nature. You would think that a man dressed in blue jeans and a candy striped shirt would stand out, that your eye would be drawn to him almost effortlessly, mesmerized by the audacity of such a horrendous fashion choice. You would think this, but you would be wrong. So it was that, in my perpetual quest to answer the infamous question, “Where’s Waldo?”, I was just as apt to throw up my hands in aggravation as I was to rejoice in success.
The idea that God is somehow more present in some moments and less present in others fails to recognize that His perpetual immanence is one of the most beautiful aspects of His divine nature.
I suppose I shouldn’t blame Waldo. The truth is, Waldo was perpetually faithful in his covenant with me. He was there, always there, wandering about the page, just waiting to be found. No, the problem was never with Waldo; the problem was with the pressing throng of activity which drew my eyes away from the object of my desire. Waldo was there, I just did not have the eyes to see.
So it is with God. The idea that God is somehow more present in some moments and less present in others fails to recognize that His perpetual immanence is one of the most beautiful aspects of His divine nature. The omnipresent creating/redeeming/sanctifying trinity of the Most High is in unceasing communion with His creation, drawing out the depths of intimacy in a restored relationship with His children. God is here, right this very moment, enveloping us as we read (or write) this page. Just as with Waldo, however, the pressing throng obscures our view, and we often fail to recognize divinity in our midst.
This is part of the joy of worship. As we glorify our King, our focus begins to shift. Our gaze moves from the things of earth to the things of heaven. Scales fall from our eyelids, and the Spirit of God restores sight to the blind. Suddenly, we see the King of Glory who has been here all along.
When worship becomes about us, about what we want or how God can bless us, then our eyes stay fixed upon ourselves, and we erect a barrier between us and the Father.
It is important to recognize that worship is about God, not about us. When worship becomes about us, about what we want or how God can bless us, then our eyes stay fixed upon ourselves, and we erect a barrier between us and the Father. As we fixate on our circumstances, we lose sight of that blessed Presence. Take Peter, for example, who locked his eyes on Jesus and ran to Him on the water… until he focused on the storm, and began to sink (Matthew 14). Or consider the two men on the road to Emmaus, who walked with Jesus side by side, but failed to truly see Him until He broke the bread which was His body (Luke 24). Scripture is replete with those who ‘see without seeing’, and so find themselves held captive by the circumstances in life that are ever beyond control. Thankfully, in the midst of all of this, God offers us this glorious promise:
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” says the Lord, “and I will bring you back from your captivity.” – Jeremiah 29:13-14a
He’s here. He’s waiting.
Can you see Him?
I’d love to hear from you, the community. In what ways have you experienced the presence of God in worship? Leave us a comment with your story!
Photo from Booktopia
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Linden Wolfe March 24, 2012 at 11:17 am
For me, in a unique sense, I experience worship in the sacraments. Nothing moves me more than observing Baptism or participating in Communion. Truly saturating myself and being consumed by the the Word is very similar in that way. It’s a heightened sense of God’s presence and the awe that invokes. Grace to you, my friend!
groundedangel March 24, 2012 at 11:50 am
I always found it odd when during an intense time of worship in church the pastor would say, “God showed up in the room” or something of that nature. I always think to myself, “Wasn’t God already here?” I agree that it is about us focusing on God rather than ourselves thus becoming more aware of His presence within us and around us. I like the way you illustrated that here.
220lily March 26, 2012 at 6:17 pm
I think the pastor understands the difference. Even in Old Testament worship, there is the general presence of God and then the Shekinah glory – the special presence of God that came in a cloud and in fire, first in the tabernacle and then in the temple. God is everywhere all the time. But his special presence can both show up and leave. The Shekinah glory of God left the temple in Ezekiel, even when his all-seeing eye is still there. You want the special presence of God in worship!
T. E. Hanna March 26, 2012 at 6:37 pm
I thnk God can reveal Himself in different ways, and some ways are greater expressions of His glory. The Shekinah glory, for example, was just that… God revealing His glory. We see a similar example when God ‘passed over’ Moses when Moses requested “show me your glory.” We see it again in the transfiguration of Jesus. God is not more or less present, but He can certainly reveal more of His glory.
220lily March 26, 2012 at 6:41 pm
A better way of explaining what I was trying to say. It’s about greater levels of revelation. Thank you!
groundedangel March 27, 2012 at 12:47 pm
interesting things to ponder…
findingtheway777 March 24, 2012 at 11:47 am
You say worship is about God and not us. That is so true. Worship helps us to forget about us, to focus our being totally on God. But in doing this God pours out Himself upon us. Its a two way street and form of connecting with Him in a spirit sense that cannot help but move our spirit within. I am in a season of worship and the more I seek God and glorify Him through worship, the more He pours our Himself on me.
Bird March 24, 2012 at 3:35 pm
I loved this article..
changedbyhim0510 March 24, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Much truth here. Jesus said that the Father seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). The counterfeit for Spirit is emotion and the counterfeit for Truth is tradition. It’s no wonder that there’s such a lack of power in the church today.
T. E. Hanna March 24, 2012 at 5:18 pm
I don’t know that I would discount emotion and tradition in their entirety. A person separated from their emotion is a person cut off from their heart, and a person rejecting tradition is a person who discounts how God has revealed His truth to previous generations. Either can become damaging to one’s spiritual health if taken too far, but a complete rejection can be just as damaging.
changedbyhim0510 March 25, 2012 at 2:10 am
fair point brother. My point is that they are no substitute for Spirit and Truth. They do have their own place though. Peace.
Peter March 24, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Great post! Although jeans with stripy red top is my idea of a bold fashion statement, obviously I have no fashion sense. But then, my wife tells me I’m a nerd – (I don’t agree with her, BTW).
While I was worshiping God in church a year or two back I felt I had to pray, so I stopped singing, closed my eyes and bowed my head. I immediately felt a very strong sense that God was saying to me “Lift up your head and look into my eyes. Don’t hide your gaze from me.” So I opened my eyes and tried to look into his eyes as I prayed. I must admit it required a bit of mental effort on my part to do this, but quite often now I will hear him say the same thing to me.
I’m not sure I can find a Biblical basis for this except perhaps in Luke 21:25-28:
“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28
T. E. Hanna March 24, 2012 at 6:24 pm
I will be happy to claim you as a fellow nerd, my friend.
WendyJC March 24, 2012 at 10:36 pm
I see him regularly and have learnt in my short journey to focus on the relationship of God and not the people or the acceptance of others, although I have come to feel in the past few weeks that being a part of a christian group is of the utmost of importance in facing the journey in a positive manner as one can be easily mislead from the true focus … I love what i have read here as the words ring such truth. God Bless
A. Dumois March 25, 2012 at 12:04 am
Thanks for a great post. I love the Waldo analogy. Isn’t funny how we talk about worship. Usually it’s as an adjective, as in, “I went to a worship service.” Or “The worship leader did nice job today.” Sometimes, worship becomes a noun – “The worship was great.” It just seems to me that we miss the very essence of worship when we use those terms. For me, worship is a verb. It is an action word, something we engage in, not something that happens around us and acknowledging his immanence is a great way focus on Him.
davidearle March 25, 2012 at 1:26 am
I read your post this morning as I prepared for playing the piano at our service this morning. When I got there, I discovered that one of the songs we had agreed to change had not in fact been changed on the powerpoint. This led to a speedy journey home and back to get the music in the correct key (too late to change the power point). Then the laptop went to sleep as it did updates! So 10 minutes late we started into worship, somewhat frazzled. But as I settled in to play the first song, I thought “Where’s Wally?” and with a quiet chuckle played my heart and soul out to bring the congregation back into worship and focus on what we really were there for. Thanks.
Jared Mease March 25, 2012 at 3:13 am
I truly enjoyed your Where’s Waldo story and how you related it to your God. My personal opinion looking back at when I looked for Waldo was that to me, Waldo was really about myself learning about self discovery. It became more about me looking at the reflection of me and learning about who I am and my perceptions of reality. Waldo set me on a path, I started to see how people could be lost or forgotten by others in this world with all of the events happening around us acting as distractions separating us from each other. When deep down we desire to connect with each other, feel solidarity and equality amongst each other. Finding Waldo became less important to me as I got older and learned patterns of behavior, thoughts, expectations, labels, words, everything that I was doing and thinking was my responsibility and in fact directly contributed to the experiences that I was currently experiencing and that I learned from Eckhart Tolle who basically used Buddha’s principles of attaining enlightenment. Allowing the universe to be, just be, without judgement actually freed me and allowed me to concentrate on how I truly see the world. All of us, acting with the abilities we have in the moment to situations in ways they have becomed conditioned by ourselves to believe. Even allowing others to convince us to allow things to happen in this world that we totally are against morally and the opposite of human equality and love for mankind as a species.
thoughtfulspirituality March 25, 2012 at 11:41 am
Another good post, bro!
One question that really makes me think how and why I worship is this: What if God hadn’t decided to give us eternal life, or salvation? He’d still be God, still be the creator of the universe, but would we still gather to worship Him? If not, doesn’t that mean that we don’t really worship Him for who He is, but for what we get out of it?
I’ll be blogging on this more myself next Sunday, but thanks for your thoughts. Keep up the good work.
mgsong March 25, 2012 at 2:01 pm
That old chorus…”He was there all the time… waiting patiently in line”…puts a lump in my throat when I think of Jesus/Holy Spirit, waiting for me to look up into His eyes after I finish doing my “thing”! Oh what audacity,!! How could I keep the King of Kings waiting for an audience with my selfish self!!
Jacob made the same startling discovery when he encountered the Angel of the Lord (Christophany); “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”[Gen. 8: 26]
Join the club, Jacob. The Lord is here in all things but many of His children don’t even know it or acknowledge it properly….except when the preacher/teacher points it out in a Sunday service.
He promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us. What is our problem??
rosesnearrunningwaters March 25, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Wonderful post! It can be difficult in times of trouble to remember that God is always there and I think many people can get angry at God when they “can’t find him” just as you would get angry when Waldo was lost. The important thing is that God truly always is present and we just need to seek Him with an open heart.
dwwork March 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Well said, God is always there we just choose to ignore Him.
Linda Kruschke March 25, 2012 at 9:35 pm
Excellent article! I love this line: “It is important to recognize that worship is about God, not about us.” In my own church, I am content to worship whether we sing hymns or contemporary worship songs; whether we have communion with individual cups or by intinction; whether the sermon is short or long; whether we have corporate confession or not; whether we stand during prayers or everyone sits. I could go on about the things that don’t matter to me in worship, but that I hear others complain about. I thoroughly enjoy worship no matter what the service entails because it is about God and He is my focus. If it were otherwise, I might as well stay home and do as I please. Peace, Linda
Jonathan Stone March 26, 2012 at 10:17 am
Great post. Sometimes the process of fixing our eyes on Him feels a lot like those 3D pictures. You have to learn to look in a new way.
220lily March 26, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Great post! I’ve lived it! This goes perfectly with my 20/20 blog so I ‘pressed’ it. I wanted to emphasize just a portion.
http://imagodeivision.wordpress.com/
So many times in worship it starts with me. Then I think of something I’ve learned about God and in the midst of worship, with a single word or phrase, God teaches me something else about him. Some of my greatest spiritual insights on the character and deeds of God have come in worship. Like yesterday, I was singing some song I don’t remember now when it dawned on me that God allows total darkness so he can penetrate it and thereby display his glory. Even in total darkness, God is there – just like in the light. No matter how bad it gets through another’s bad deeds or our own, God is there. He sees us. It is the arrogance of God to let darkness cover the earth – just so he can display his glory in dispelling that darkness. “I form the light and create darkness” (Isaiah 45) – both natural and spiritual! It bothers some people that God does this. Not me! I rejoice!
tommuellerbooks March 26, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Reblogged this on tommuellerbooks and commented:
Funny and insightful.
mizzblonde09 March 26, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Reblogged this on Smiles Squared and commented:
Truth!
Jeremy Gradney March 26, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Excellent post. The world so often pulls for our attention. So many things call to us distracting from what really matters. Thanks for the insight and I really like the Waldo analogy.
Darryl Schoeman March 27, 2012 at 11:14 am
He TE. You made it to featured again on Christianity and Religion with this one. God bless. Darryl.
T. E. Hanna March 27, 2012 at 11:16 am
I saw that.
I thought about posting it on here again, but figured that might be a bit much after just posting the last one. What do you think? Does it come off as celebratory or vain?
Darryl Schoeman March 27, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Most definitely celebratory. Paul writes that he is not ashamed to boast of the authority that God has given him to build people up (2 Cor 10:8). With all the “interesting” writings out there, I think that it is an honour bestowed by God to be recognised for the authority that he has given you. And judging from what I have “learnt” about you in following you, I perceive you to be a humble person who will not boast beyond the proper limits, confined to that area which God has assigned to you (2 Cor 10:13). It is at this point not yet vanity. You have been duly recognised, first of God, and now of men. God bless. Darryl.
godschick March 29, 2012 at 12:14 am
That is so true….especially in the American church. We can make worship more about us and our preferences than really about adoring, worshipping and exalting Him. I feel like worship is more of a lifestyle than a song, and really my most powerful worship experiences have happened as an overflow of what He is doing in my life because I’m just so grateful for His grace.
robinjabraham March 29, 2012 at 1:05 am
I was involved in a criminal court case for approx. 3 years. Through the entire ordeal, my one source of strength was God. There were times of immense frustration…corruption, false allegations, crass language, the painfully slow legal system in India etc etc. God, however, kept me moving, telling me to trust him to redeem me since I was to see his glory through his work in me. Those 3 years were the most maturing years of my life. To know a God of mercy, love and graciousness was an honor and His grace eventually set me free. I had written this poem in his honor when the final verdict had been passed: http://bit.ly/HpwU2e
God listens & works in ways we can never understand
jimlockey1 March 29, 2012 at 4:17 am
Brilliant!
jeremynoel March 29, 2012 at 4:54 pm
This is great. Thanks for the insight into the consistency of God with us
kylebarton March 30, 2012 at 12:17 am
I like the Where’s Waldo analogy! A perfect example for Isaiah 45:15- “Surely You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.”
I also like the thought that in our complex, crowded, ever-shifting kaleidoscopic situations in life God is not only always present, but remains the same, just as Waldo never changed. God’s heart, mind, and intention never changes. It’s always to use every opportunity to work Himself into us. But this requires us to lovingly find Him in every situation.
nmetzler March 30, 2012 at 11:21 am
Well said. We constantly need this reminder. He’s there. And this is why worship promotes faith.
lbtk March 30, 2012 at 5:39 pm
What a wonderful post. Sandy
santhini March 31, 2012 at 11:22 am
Wonderful thoughts
and presented beautifully…
dwaynegoldenjr March 31, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Just discovered your blog as it was Featured in the Christianity section… I totally agree and can relate to being to focused on myself during worship. Great perspective and refreshing to see a successful blog about the things of God — Congrats on being featured …
T. E. Hanna March 31, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Welcome to the community, Dwayne! We’ve got a great group of folks here, you should linger and get acquainted!
maryfollowsthelamb March 31, 2012 at 12:27 pm
I’ve had those “Where’s God” moments I’m ashamed to say and recently too.
I feel close to God in many ways when I worship which sounds like a contradiction in a way to the above, but it’s just me being human. Music is a very great way to worship God for me. Seeing His creation is another. Watching someone perform a kindness touches my heart with praise. Conversely, the ugliness we do to each other and the Earth also makes me worship God more in sorrow, and hope.
2b14u April 3, 2012 at 12:42 pm
One of my most recent experiences in worship was actually at a funeral. I was there to bury my mom. Three months before the funeral my husband left me for another person…another man. At the funeral I looked around and saw my sisters with their husbands sitting next to them. It hurt to know I was there by myself. Then, that still, small voice brought scriture to my mind from Paul…”and the Lord Himself stood by me.” It was like I actually saw them sitting with their husbands, but Jesus was standing next to me with His hand on my shoulder. It was a moment of worship.
T. E. Hanna April 3, 2012 at 12:45 pm
That’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us.
It sounds like you hit one of those “valleys of deathly darkness” times. How are you holding up? Anything we can pray for you about?
2b14u April 3, 2012 at 1:06 pm
The Fall of 2009 and the Spring of 2010 were hard times…my husband was a music minister when he left the church and us on the same day in November. My Mother died the following March and my sister passed away the following May. On my blog I call it the Jack-in-the Box Moments when Jack just kept on jumping out at me. Thankfully Jack is boxed in and my God is not. Prayer request: That my sons will know how they are to interpret, respond to and treat their father who is living with another man. I hate being so blunt, but that is truely my request. God has to teach them as He is teaching me. We all just learn at different rates.
Leon Maiolo April 4, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Thank you for a wonderful article. It really is true, when God seems distant from us, we moved, he didn’t. Thanks be to God that he is always available, and much easier to find then Waldo.
T. E. Hanna April 4, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Well said. The thing I love about God is that His “Waldo” is looking for us…
modernmiracleme April 5, 2012 at 11:43 am
I love this. Thanks for sharing. Sometimes we become the Waldo in the world, trying to fit into the picture. God is good, and He can find us even when we arent seeking him. amen.
salbina April 5, 2012 at 5:16 pm
mmmm i really like your blogg, maybe you can teach me how to continue with mine ?
T. E. Hanna April 5, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I have not been blogging long, I only started this blog in February of this year, so the blog here is really only about two months old. In that short amount of time, however, I have found two things that seem to work for me:
1. Make sure you put the time in to have quality posts on a regular basis
2. Spend time visiting the blogs of as many other bloggers in your topic area as possible, and get to know them. At least half of the readers of this blog connected with me when I liked or commented on their blog, and most of the rest of the readers came from those people sharing the articles they enjoyed with their friends. I may not be growing as quickly as some others, but I am happy with the growth I have seen.
salbina April 5, 2012 at 5:40 pm
ohhh thanks but could you see mine? Because i haven’t used this for so long…what do you think?
T. E. Hanna April 5, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I did. Right now, the only posts you have up are a Bible passage and some photos, plus the blog layout isn’t in English. I would do what I already suggested… Start posting quality articles and interacting with the community. Get an ‘about’ page up with your bio, and give it time. As I said, tho, i’m only two months in so these are just guesses… I would ask someone with far more experience than I.
salbina April 5, 2012 at 6:24 pm
ok thanks God bless
The Other Red Cup April 5, 2012 at 6:05 pm
This is full of such great stuff! I am so glad I found this:)
We just started out blog last month and are hoping like you, to reach the broken, hungry, and growing:)
blessings to you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6lG3s-kbGw
Brianna April 6, 2012 at 12:26 am
I love the comparison! It fits so perfectly. I will definitely have to remember this and refer to it when talking about God with others. Great post!
searchinsany April 9, 2012 at 10:57 am
This is beautifully written and drives home the Truth with such simplicity. I would love to add a link to one of my Hubs on HubPages if I may.
p.s. What is wrong with blue jeans and candy striped shirts? I wear them. In my opinion WALDO HAS STYLE!
T. E. Hanna April 9, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Feel free to add it to one of your hubs, but you have to include a photo of yourself in blue jeans and a candy striped shirt.
searchinsany April 14, 2012 at 11:29 am
Sorry I’m having difficulty attaching a photo to my comment, I will persevere lol. In the meantime I have gone ahead and linked your article to my Hub ‘The Last Days: New Heavens and a New Earth a Present Reality’.