For Another Week of Quarantine…
Written By: Daniel Garcia | Worship Leader
Starting another week of quarantine I am coming to grips on what life is going to look like, at least for a little while. I’ll be honest, it has not been easy. I get frustrated at my roommates chewing, at doing dishes more than 5 times a day, and wearing the same clothes because … why get dressed? I also get frustrated not knowing if I’ll have a job at the end of this quarantine, if my family will be safe, or if normal life is something that is still attainable.
Through this, I am very grateful that God’s character and plans are not based off of MY feelings or frustrations. Imagine, the God we say is sovereign and all-knowing being influenced by some dishes or a change-up in how life is done. The truth is, God is faithful in ALL! Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” That is why I have decided to consistently worship God through all of my frustrations and fears.
“Worship is our outward response to what God is doing within us.” (Paraphrased 🙂 ) This is a saying that I have heard multiple times as a worship leader. As much as I believe this is true, I also would say that worship should happen even before feeling what He is doing in us. We should worship knowing that God already has the victory. We should worship knowing that we, being his children and heirs of the kingdom (I Peter), have full access to that victory. We should worship when we are alone, sick, marginalized and… even in the middle of a global pandemic! Why? Because we know that God is still moving and He is still good.
Songs like Waymaker, Here Again, and King of My Heart all come to life in a different way during these times. The bridges of all of these songs speak to me so powerfully, especially during this quarantine.
“Even when I dont feel it, you’re working”,
“Not for a minute was I forsaken, the Lord is in this place”
“You are good, you’re good, Ohhhhh”
These are some favorites of our church but I would encourage you to take some time after reading this to intentionally listen to these three songs. It’s so easy to get caught up in the melody or instrumentation of a song that we forget the impact that the words can/should have on us. Every song we sing at church is vetted and approved before we sing it. We do that because we know the importance of our words and worship. These songs are based off scripture and are powerful. They are not lullabies to make you feel good and help you sleep easier. They are songs of proclamation, boldness and victory! Let’s be like Paul and Silus and in the middle of our lockdown, sing hymns at the top of our lungs (Acts 16). They weren’t silenced by their situation but sang loud enough for others to hear.
This is the prayer that I am praying during this time (maybe you can adapt it to your life or just pray for me) 🙂 “God thank you for your faithfulness! Thank you that through this time of uncertainty and frustration there is victory on the other side for all those who believe in you. I pray that I would continually worship you even when I dont see or feel you. I know that you are faithful and will continue to provide.”
Okay, bye!
Daniel Garcia