Pausing to hear God and turn our attention to Him is WORSHIP!
That simple act will shift our awareness from things that divert us to things that empower us. This is a powerful tool when life is overwhelming.
In hospital ministry, our team learned to start by turning our awareness and attention to Jesus. This is a way of very practically "exalting Jesus". I sang about exalting Jesus and lifting His name up my whole life, but honestly never knew how to do it.
Do I shout it from the rooftops? Do I sing a worship song in the middle of the hospital? Those thoughts made me cringe. Real life exalting looks like something else... but WHAT?
Before we started meeting with patients or families, we would simply turn our attention to Jesus and connect with what He was saying and doing. Then when people came into the chapel later for prayer, though we were not singing or even praying out loud, we were grounded and set: eyes on Jesus.
By putting our awareness on Jesus first, a unique space was created: there was more than enough capacity in the room to hold the inevitable sorrow, questions, uncertainty, terrible prognosis, fear, family turmoil, and pain that would walk through the doors.
In the hospital chapel, I learned to live by the simple key of being aware of Jesus. Jesus has the capacity for all of life’s struggles. You and I do not, but He DOES. Be encouraged!
We learned the hard way that if we didn’t start by setting our awareness on Jesus, whatever pain or discouraging situation someone was going through would set the tone for the entire room. If someone had a cancer diagnosis, the overwhelming hopelessness of cancer was felt by all. If someone didn’t know what decision to make, the insecurity and gridlock of indecision was felt by all. Our prayers sounded more influenced by the problem (cancer or gridlock) than by Jesus.
Jesus makes space and it is filled with healing that flows like a river, unforced and free.
What are you most aware of throughout your day?
– Cayce Harris