Have you ever had a Bible verse just jump up and smack you in the forehead? That’s basically what happened to me the other day. I’ve been reading through the Eugene Peterson paraphrase “The Message” this year, (I know, I know, “Not really the Bible”, whatever, I like it) and the way that it stated Isaiah 22:8-11 hit me pretty hard as I have been planning the worship sets at church. It says:

“You looked and looked and looked, but you never looked to him who gave you this city, never once consulted the One who has long had plans for this city.”

Oh man, reality check. How easy it is to casually pick some songs you like, slap them together, put in some nice transitions, pick out a bible verse, and there you go, a worship set. Or worse yet, we can scrutinize every detail, analyze each song for lyrical content and theme, orchestrate every instrument to the last detail, and carefully plan every word we say for maximum impact, and what do we forget?

Oh, how easy it is to “never once consult the One who has long had plans for this city”

That’s gonna leave a mark.