Saying "I love you" to God

We just got a CD by Michael W. Smith called Worship. It's 5 years old, so we're behind the times, but it reminds me of a mix-tape for God. I'm showing my age here, but I'm sure the only thing that's changed today is that it's CD's instead of tapes. You make a tape for your girl/boyfriend with songs that tell them how much you care about them. This CD has the same feel, the same emotion, only it's about God.

At my last church, Cross of Life, we sang a lot of these songs in worship. It was wonderful because it was worship: we spent our time loving and adoring God, and the most profound way I did that was through that music. I can't hug God. I can hug other people in God's name, but I can't wrap my arms around God or give affection many of the normal ways we love other people. I can love God in lots ways, but those ways don't always get my full feeling and emotion out there like singing does. For some reason, singing my love to God is the most profound way I have found to pour my love out. Only I don't have a community worship in which to do that.

So for now I sing in the car. I sing along with these songs, and I let my love of God pour out. It's great to have a way to give voice to that emotion again. I look forward to the day when The River can gather and we can all pour out our hearts to God. Until then, I'll look forward to my time in the car a whole lot more.