Now (Worship and Intercession)!

“Come, Now is the Time to Worship”

On my way to the grocery store, I was listening to the Christian radio station, and this song interrupted my thoughts. I’ve heard the song many times, but that day it was no longer just background music. The word “now” was punctuated as if God wanted to emphasize the opportunity for me to worship Him right then and there in the Walmart parking lot. The kind of worship I’m talking about is the position of my heart. I’m not talking about singing a few songs, clapping my hands and perhaps even raising them. No, the kind of worship I’m talking about is a heart toward God.

My heart was heavy! Good friends of ours had just tragically lost their son a week before. I’ve experienced dark nights of the soul before, but I wondered how anyone could walk through what they were being asked to walk through. It’s crushing to think about almost to the point of feeling like I can’t take my next breath.

Being the word nerd that I am, I actually looked up the word “now.” And at the risk of sounding silly, the word “now” means “now–at this present moment in time.” It reminded me that the ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos and kairos. Chronos is the ticking of the clock. It is the measuring of time in seconds, minutes and hours. It is changing the page of a calendar. Kairos, however, is when heaven intersects earth. It is when God wants to act. Kairos moments are the defining moments in life where we make choices, and we are fully aware of their eternal impact. It is a moment in time when the Spirit moves. He hovers over the chaos of our lives and brings forth beauty, light and order.

I believe God was wanting me to worship Him in that “kairos” moment. God often uses these moments to get my attention. They force me to slow down and be fully present in my reality.

   The Ancient Greeks made sense of their world by personifying just about everything. In Greek mythology, both chronos and kairos are portrayed with wings, and that’s where we get the phrase “time flies.” Sometimes they are portrayed with long hair, and it is thought that if they were coming toward you, you had the opportunity to grab their hair and keep them with you. But if they passed you by and you didn’t reach out and grab them as you had opportunity, that opportunity was lost forever. That day in Walmart’s parking lot, I had the opportunity to partner with the Holy Spirit to dispel darkness. I was interceding for my friends. Intercession for others often relies heavily on kairos moments. I was begging God to give them HOPE in the midst of all their pain.

  

As most moms are, I am the queen of multitasking. I’m not saying I’m good at it; I’m saying as a mom, it’s in my job description. In the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10), we see that Mary was living in her kairos moment while sitting with Jesus. There were preparations to be made, but Mary chose to seize the moment by sitting with Jesus. Jesus said she made the better choice. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. As a busy mom, I need to slow down and become aware of the kairos moments in my life. Everything else has little significance. Sitting in Walmart’s parking lot, my heart was heavy and burdened about many things, but He wanted me to worship. To be honest, I didn’t feel like it. Yet, there He was asking me to connect with Him. He wants us to worship…

NOW–when life hurts!

NOW–when Satan lies about the goodness of God!

NOW–even in grief!

Don’t get distracted with the things of this life when your kairos moments come!

NOW is the time to worship!”