Yahweh

"Lifting hands in praise because of you, no more hiding no fears you make all things new. You give me strength I'm not afraid to face what I have done, I'm at your feet, you are almighty, good to me. Jesus, precious is your name. Beautiful Lord, Yahweh."

- Brielle Lidtka, Element Music

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Two years ago, Element Church worship leader Brielle Lidtka debuted the song "Yahweh" at Element's Night of Worship, and it quickly became a song that has spoken so much hope into my life. Before she began to sing this powerful worship song, she shared with the audience her struggles with depression and how there are times when it was a struggle to feel God's presence and power in her life. In that moment her story and this song made an incredibly powerful impact on my life, but I had no idea how it would help get me through one of my own darkest days.

Last week I talked about bringing heaven down to earth and how part of making that happen includes worshiping God. Over the past 9 years of attending Element Church, the one thing that hooked me and kept me coming back week after week was the incredible talent of our worship team. It wasn't just their modern style; I grew up in a "turn your hymnal to page 214" style church, and lets face it, attending a rock concert every Sunday morning is pretty great; but mostly it was their ability to help me to connect with God in a way that I had never experienced before.

For so many people, worship music is one of the first ways that God is able to speak to our hearts. In 9 years of worshiping God here at Element I can only count a few times where the music and worship of our awesome creator hasn't brought me to tears and overwhelmed me as I felt surrounded by God's presence.

This past November, I walked into the auditorium a broken mess. Sunday mornings for me are generally chaos and this Sunday was no exception. I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders and the shame of the secret depression that I was suffering from was unbearable. As I stood there in worship tears streaming down my face, thoughts of suicide filled my head. No one knew how much I was hurting, how broken and alone I felt in that moment, but God knew.

As the beginning of the next song began, I was desperately begging God to silence the enemy and the words "Standing here amazed at who you are. Confused at why you call this broken mess your child." came from the stage. The song continued, "Your mercy is a gift to me, I don't deserve the air I breathe. But you are good, you are good to me." and in that moment God answered my desperate prayer and silenced the enemy's attack.

Worship is a powerful thing. I don't believe that there is a time that we are more connected to God and more in His presence then when we are in worship of Him. The next few lines of the song "Lifting hands in praise because of you, no more hiding no fears you make all things new." are a powerful reminder of how worship can transform our lives and can be used free us from whatever is holding us back. When we raise our hands in worship and praise of God, He has the ability to, as the next part of the song states, "You give me strength I'm not afraid to face what I have done, I'm at your feet", to give us the strength to lay it all at His feet, and allow Him to work in our lives.

We all long to feel God's love and presence in our lives. We are all broken sinners, who carry guilt and shame. We hide our fears away from the world but God sees them all. The next part of this song shows us the power that worship can have in our lives the freedom that can only be found in Jesus.

"Your steadfast love it draws me close into your arms of light. This is all that you desire, my broken sacrifice. So take our sin and scars we've made, take the bitter mistakes away and show us the power of your name."

In Romans 10:13 it says "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." There is power in then name of Jesus, and no matter how lost or broken we are all we have to do is call on His name.

There is freedom from every sin that we have committed, every wrong that we have done, the shame that we carry, the labels that others have placed on us, every lie that we tell ourselves. If we call on the name of the Lord, worship Him and lay it all at His feet, we can experience the power of His name.

"We lift our hands in praise, for you alone are good. The power of your name brings healing to the broken."

Worship is all about praising the mighty power and goodness of God. When we worship, we enter into His magnificent presence and we find comfort for our souls. When we are in God's presence we find the peace our souls desperately seek, the joy that fills our hearts and His presence will overflow into every part of our lives. It is only in God's presence that will we ever find healing.

Here at Element Church we have been so blessed to have an amazing worship team, with incredible talent and leadership. As this current season comes to a close, and Brielle follows God's calling to a new adventure, I ask that all of you cover her and her husband Bryce in prayer.

Brielle, we have been so incredibly thankful for you and your impact here in Cheyenne. You and Bryce will be greatly missed. May God bless you, as you continue the work in His kingdom. You are forever in our hearts and will always be part of the Element family.

If you would like to listen to the song in it's entirety it is available on iTunes, Spotify or you can also listen to it here on YouTube:

"Yahweh" by Element Music