You’ve probably had this experience: driving down the road and seeing something off in the distance that catches your attention. At first, it's just a blur. But the closer you get, the more clearly it comes into focus. That’s a lot like how we’ve been seeing God this week. From a distance, He stands out clearly as the one true God. Then, as we draw nearer, we begin to see just how vast, holy, and powerful He really is—far beyond anything we can imagine:

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“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” — Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV)

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We have actually discovered something even more humbling: this great God isn’t distant at all. In fact, He approached us. And the closer we’ve gotten, the more we’ve wanted to know Him.

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As a worship team, today we’re reminded that knowing God personally is the highest expression of “Emmanuel”—God with us:

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

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But more than that, He wants to be God with me. His desire isn’t just to be praised from a platform—it’s to be known intimately, as a friend. There’s a worship song many of us have sung that says, “I am a friend of God, He calls me friend.” It’s a powerful line. But here’s the challenge: those words shouldn’t be sung mindlessly. They are deeply personal—and not always automatically true. While our identity as children of God is secure through Christ:

 

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”— Romans 8:15–17 (NIV)

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Friendship with God is cultivated through daily obedience and closeness: “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” — John 15:14–15 (NIV)

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That means even we, as worship teams—those who sing, play, and lead others in worship—can sometimes miss the very relationship we’re inviting others into. We can perform without connecting. We can declare His greatness and still miss His nearness. And that’s a real danger: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’”— Matthew 15:8 (NIV)

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Many of you may have read astronomy books, hoping to find awe-filled wonder at the cosmos but instead, you would have found data—technical details, classifications, theories. But no reverence. No worship. No mention of the One who created it all. It struck me: even those who stare into the heavens can miss the glory behind them.

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“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” — Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

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In the same way, we as worship teams can become so familiar with the songs, the charts, and the rehearsals that we forget the One all of it is for. God doesn’t need our performance—He wants our hearts. Friendship with a personal God isn’t optional. It’s essential.

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Reflection Questions:

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1. How clearly are you seeing God right now? Are you experiencing Him from a distance, or do you feel a growing closeness?

2. What does “Emmanuel — God with me” look like in your daily life? Is it something you just believe, or something you intentionally walk in?

3. Can you think of times when you led worship without actually connecting with God? What got in the way?

4. According to John 15:14–15, what defines friendship with God? How does that challenge or encourage you personally?

5. What practical steps could your worship team take to pursue intimacy with God—together and individually?​

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