Sitting in on a revival last week at the church, something one of the men speaking said stuck out to me. “God doesn’t know this place, Timbutini, so we must meet him half way.� He said. While I understand the point he was trying to make it stuck out to me because of just how wrong he was about that.
Not just for the obvious reason that God himself created this place and the people so he of course would know, but also because of the atmosphere that resides here and that little something that the people themselves possess.
Anyone, non-believer or believer, cannot deny that there is something more going on in this church than our typical service. Every time the Swazi people open their mouths to worship you instantly feel the presence of the Lord near you. When I hear people speak of singing in heaven, this is what I would imagine it sounding like.
As I sit and just listen to the song of this language I didn’t even know existed three weeks ago, I am forever lost in the power and conviction behind what they sing. The fact that these people, who have nothing and are plagued by poverty and disease, can praise so openly and freely is amazing to me. I have seen this sort of thing several other times on other trips I’ve taken to different locations and it never ceases to amaze me, but there is something more to this.
One of the largest differences I’ve noticed between our churches and theirs is that they worship with freedom and in doing so find more freedom through that. We in America worship in a way that suggests is it some sort of secret that we might actually be engaging. Our worship is often overshadowed by fear. The Bible says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,� but instead we keep quiet and to ourselves. Whatever our reason may be, weather it because we think we sound bad or we don’t know what others will think, we hold on tightly to that fear, clinging for dear life because we don’t want to be categorized as the churchy type. Crazy huh? Considering we are in church and of all places that is where we should feel most comfortable.
What I think people don’t realize is all the freedom that can be found when you kick back and worship. I don’t know how to explain it, but there is something that happens to you when you let go of the burdens of fear.
I wish I could bring a bit of Swazi worship back with me, just to show people what life has the potential to be. But I can’t. All I have is my words and the influence of God behind them. I am convinced that God knows where Timbutini is, not just because he created them but because they let him know every time they gather together or alone to worship.
They’ve found freedom from this life and freedom to the fullest, I can only pray that we open ourselves to the freedom as well.
