‘Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise.’ Psalm 96:12

This verse describes different types of praise and appreciation of our God. It reminded me of different types of people within my church.

All around the world there are loud people and quiet people, anxious and carefree, nervous and confident, introvert and extrovert, and sometimes a mixture of several of these types which can make us very complicated creatures! I think it is amazing that our Heavenly Father knows and understands each one of us. He knows exactly what we need in life and will help us when we have committed our lives to His hands.

In the same way in church, there are different types of worship. The Holy Spirit is sensitive to the needs of those who have gathered together. If He has the freedom to move according to the will of God, He will come to us in just the way we need. For some they will ‘burst with joy’, whilst others may ‘rustle with praise.’

It’s not given to everyone to be a whooping Christian! For some that would be a false portrayal of who they are. What is important is not how we worship but whom we worship. We should never worship the music or the praise band. We should seek in our worship to find our way into the presence of God. We know we have achieved this when we can truly forget about those ‘out front’ in church and even forget about ourselves as we worship.

Don’t try to be someone that you’re not. Be yourself when you are in church. God loves the exuberant and He loves the quiet. He wants you to worship Him. When you are relaxed you will transmit Him. When you are uptight you won’t. Accept yourself for the kind of personality that you have. You will be at home in Him if you are true to yourself and God. In this way, you become of the greatest usefulness to God.  He will have found your inner self and by His mercy, can take you, the quiet or the exuberant, and use you as He desires for His glory.