The Right Password!

Fall Back!  Fall Back!  Yep… tonight is the time to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed… so you’ll arise and get to church on time tomorrow morning.

Did I ever tell you of the time back in the late 1980’s when our church was holding services for a small but dedicated group of believers in Napa, California, a city about one hour away from our hometown of Santa Rosa?  Piper and I were the Praise and Worship leaders at our church and led the music in Napa as well. 

We had been assisting the group there for a few months and on this particular first Sunday of November, Piper and I along with our three children (at the time), loaded up the back of her Bonneville wagon with our musical equipment, jumped in and headed southeastward to Napa.  Everything seemed normal until we drove into the parking lot of the Women’s Club building.  Our Pastor’s and their family of five boys pulled in at the same time and when we greeted each other, we all suddenly realized… that we were an hour early… which actually meant that we were two hours early when you consider the planned set-up time.

Well… we had a good laugh and went ahead and set up all the musical and sound equipment, the projector for the song lyrics and the chairs for the congregation to sit on.  Once that was completed, we sat around for a few minutes while the kids ran (literally) around the building and then decided that we’d go ahead and have a pre-worship, Praise and Worship Service with Piper and I leading and the Pastor’s and the eight kids participating! 

Which we did and… I have to say… that the Spirit met us there in a special way and we almost felt that we’d be carried away in the rapture before the congregation arrived!  Needless to say, we had a very moving service with the rest of the church on that Sunday and later wondered with our Pastor and his wife, if God had planned our early arrival on purpose!

I have often-times heard it said that Praise and Worship in song at the beginning of a church service prepares the people for the teaching of the Word.  And while I whole-heartedly agree with that, I would also add that it not only prepares us for the Word, but also opens the door of our hearts and minds for the Holy Spirit to move as He wills in our lives.  Heartfelt praise unto God is like a key to the supernatural things of God.

Psalm 100:4 in the Passion Translation tells us that:

“You can pass through His open gates with the password of praise. Come right into His presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to Him and affectionately bless His beautiful name!” 

The idea of PRAISE being a PASSWORD into to the very presence of God definitely brings the point home in today’s digital world… doesn’t it?  I got a little frustrated the other day as I was attempting to log into my email account.  I had recently changed the PASSWORD and thought that I was typing in the correct combination or letters, numbers and special symbols but I kept getting the RED colored WRONG PASSWORD message! 

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!  Has anyone else ever been annoyed by that message… or am I the only one?  I was about to toss my laptop across the room when I remembered that I had written down the new PASSWORD in my secret black book that I keep hidden in my study.  And you know… I was only off by one number!  Once I typed in the correct information… POOF!  It opened right up to my email account!

The Psalmist is saying in this modern translation that our heartfelt, worshipful PRAISE unto God… even in the privacy of our own home… or car… (although you have to be careful to not get too carried away when you’re driving… as I have done on occasion!) will act as that same agent of “POOF” drawing us right into the very presence of God!

Over the years I have personally experienced this when home alone, or like I said in the car.  I’ve also seen it happen with our family as we gathered around Piper at the piano in our living room and sang songs of PRAISE unto the Lord.  Likewise, I still have vivid memories of when Piper and I entered into the presence of the Lord one evening on our 25^th Anniversary Holiday alone together at the Inn at the Tides resort in Bodega Bay California! 

I would attest… and Piper would confirm if she could… that after a while of worshipful PRAISE, we looked up and noticed that the ceiling of the room was lined with a soft white cloud or mist… that wasn’t from a natural source!

I could go on and on and share similar personal experiences that I’ve had in church, at men’s conferences and at some of the various conventions that Piper and I attended over the years.  I’ve also seen the presence of the Lord come into our midst during sessions of PRAISE in Children’s Church, during anointed Youth services at church as well as in the middle of the Redwood Forest at weekend Youth Camps!

God is definitely NOT picky or selective as to where His presence will reside.  Our heartfelt PRAISE joyfully and exuberantly lifted unto Him can, will and does act as the PASSWORD that opens the door for us into His divine presence - anytime or anywhere, that we humble ourselves before Him and…

“affectionately (PRAISE and) bless his beautiful name!”

There is nothing that is quite comparable to the freedom, stress-relief, joy, peace, encouragement and physical, mental and emotional strength that comes from committed times of PRAISE!  I would whole-heartedly encourage each of you to give it a try.  If you’re not comfortable doing it in front of others then find a quiet place alone and experience the sense of wholeness that only a visit in the presence of the Lord can give you!

Have a great weekend!  Our FALL BACK weekend forecast in Oklahoma is sunny and warm (low 70’s) and I pray that yours is fantastic as well!