God Exists Outside our Comfort Zones

I am currently reading several works for my new semester at the Institute for Worship Studies and they are all about Multicultural worship. One of the books, entitled “Worship Together in Your Church as in Heaven,” talked several times about how God “exists outside our comfort zones.” I thought this would be a good topic to discuss as we are entering a new year.

I have a definite comfort zone. I know exactly what I can do easily and what will send me into a panic. Have you ever thought about your comfort zone when it comes to worship? I mean think about it, you most likely chose Valley Chapel because you felt comfortable here and you were comfortable with the flow of the service. This is absolutely not a bad thing! It is important to enjoy the church where you worship. The problem is sometimes we can get too comfortable where we are in our faith or church life and before we know it we have become stagnant. Not regressing, but not moving forward either. What is required here is a journey outside our comfort zone.

The book I previously mentioned says, “Many of the things we value in worship have to do with our own comfort. But a scriptural understanding of worship demands that we be uncomfortable at least some of the time.” Later on it says “If we stay in our comfort zones, our God becomes increasingly small.” There are many types of worship being used in Christian churches, that you might not be aware of, that can broaden your worship experience and further you in your faith journey. All you need to do is be willing to experience them. So as you start this new year, what can you do to get outside your comfort zone and experience God in a new way? It might be volunteering to read scripture during the service. It might be having a prayer meeting or worship service at your home (maybe with Christians of a different culture). Whatever it is, pray that when God gives you the opportunity to get outside your comfort zone that you would be willing to take that leap of faith and respond.