This past Sunday I had a sort of epiphany of sorts during “Man Church”.  I was standing on stage, listening to the people on stage and in the audience cry out to God in worship.  Just to hear our people praise the Lord loudly is just amazing to me!
 
In the course of worship from time to time, I see the faces of people.  It always amazes me at what God reveals in his children’s faces, especially during worship.  So many people out there with hurts and needs, and yet you can see in their face that they’re laying it all before His throne…trusting in Him alone.  “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
 
We were singing the lyrics “the same power that conquered the grave lives in me….”, when I glanced at the people sitting on the front row in our congregation.  I was taken back when I realized that the same power that conquered the grave lives in me….and in the inmate that was  praising God for his salvation.  And it lives in the grateful family that is now reunited after being torn apart for months.  And it lives in the single mother, battling cancer, crying out to God while holding her little girl’s hand, knowing that she is completely dependent on God now.  All these people, you guessed it, were on the front row.  All these people were eager to experience God’s presence in worship.
 
Despite their current circumstance, or their difficult past, they have decided to lift surrender themselves to Him.  But not only worship Him…worship Him on the front row with hands lifted high!
 
Isn’t it amazing how dependant on God we become during times of troubles and trials?  I thought about how much I would love to have that kind of dependence without having the issue or situation.  It made me realize that I need to strive to be on the front row, not because I’m close to the action of the room, but because I want to give God all I have at worship each and every day.  I want Him to know that my desire is to be as close to Him as I can get.  
 
The challenge really is: whether you’re going through a difficult time, or you’re on top of a mountain, always worship God.  Don’t casually look through a window from outside, but seek to be a part of the family from the inside. That is where you gain His perspective.