I have been reading a great book called 'The Quest for Revival' by Ron McIntosh, and I thought today I would share with you an excerpt I have been chewing over in the last few days:
“God has not called His people primarily to be successful, but to be obedient. I believe that is the heartbeat of God as evidenced in His word spoken through the prophet Zechariah: “...not by might nor by power, but by My spirit.' says the Lord God Almighty” (Zech 4:6).
Success and adulation tend to lead toward self-sufficiency. Obedience directs toward “God-Sufficiency”.
The word 'might' used in Zechariah 4:6 means force, personal virtue, or wealth, resources of the individual, or of a band of men. Similarly, 'power' describes personal hardniness or ability. The word of warning spoken through Zechariah is to understand that no personal resources or hardiness can sustain Gods move. Only His Spirit can maintain His purpose”.
We could therefore quote that scripture truthfully by saying it like this: ' Not by personal virtue, wealth or resources, not by personal ability, but by My Spirit says the Lord”.
I don't think the author is saying that you can't be successful and be obedient at the same time. Many times they go hand in hand. But when success becomes our primary aim as worshippers - we are totally missing the point of what it means to experience God's empowering presence in our corporate worship times.
Sure, excellent musicianship is important. But not at the expense of His presence! Sometimes we are so professional that there is no space for God to move. If we really want to see an increase in His tangible presence (i.e. Experiencing Him in greater measure), let us be more focussed on His spirit, and less on our abilties, our resources, or our wealth.