Have you ever lost something under the sofa? You know that feeling you get when you drop something and it rolls (almost as if in slow motion) right up under there? Down we go scrambling on our hands and knees (with a flashlight or broom handle) in search of that lost item. Oh, I wish God's people would go in search of their worship that way.

You may say, "My worship isn't lost, I go to church." But that's the point. So many have lost their worship and don't even realize it. We go to church, do the programs, meet with the people and shake the pastor's hand and leave having missed the presence of God. What does real worship look like? If we use Isaiah 6:1-8 we see real worship illustrated for us:

• We have to see the Lord - see him in the music, the message and the fellowship. See him as he is "high and lifted up," worthy of our best praise and undivided focus.
• We must see ourselves as we really are - people in desperate need of a touch from God.
• We have to listen to God - he is always ready to speak, we must be ready to hear and acknowledging He has something to say to us personally.
• We have to respond - worship is participatory and it requires a response from us to God.
• You don't have to be perfect to experience "real" worship - Isaiah was unclean and undone but worshiped God and found grace, mercy and a God who loved and valued him and desired to use him in the Lord's service.

Where do we find real worship like this? "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1)
Don't just go to church this week, go to church and find your worship.

Dr. William Burnham is a pastor at Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.