Last night I saw Hillsong United in concert, and it was amazing. The whole event was pretty amazing, simply because Hillsong has never come to Oklahoma before, at least not Hillsong United. See, Hillsong has different branches across the world, with different worship teams that tour independently. I've seen Hillsong London's worship team twice at Church of the Harvest, but this was the first time I'd ever seen the real deal in person.
I went by myself, which was nice, because I didn't have to worry about keeping up with anyone but myself amidst the crowd of people, especially since my ticket was for the floor. I was standing about twenty feet from the stage and almost hyperventilating. I don't normally get that excited over things, but my few obsessions in life (Hillsong being one of them) can make me insane. I was almost having trouble breathing when the lights went dim and the projector screens began showing video reels of ministry promotions and Hillsong updates. The atmosphere struck me as not just another concert/praise & worship event opener, but something more. I'm sure it had to do with what I was expecting from the concert, "service," itself.... whatever you wanna call it. The roar of the three to four thousand people in the arena was deafening. The myriad of stage lights had already begun their dance. The band was onstage.
Although the first few songs were high-energy and meant to get people out of their shells, few did just that. For a while, I felt like I was the only person doing anything of the praise nature. It wasn't until the band played the first round of down-tempo worship songs that people actually began "getting into it." It sounds cheesy, but deep inside me, I knew without a doubt that God's spirit was going to manifest itself before the night was over. And it did. I remember the exact moment, for me, that I felt God's undeniable presence. Granted, God's presence, to me, is something that can be felt in varying degrees. The feelings range from warm-and-fuzzy to take-your-breath-away to can-barely-stand-another-moment-because-of-the-sheer-weight-and-power-of-God's-presence-pressing-against-your-entire-body. I felt all three throughout the course of the night. The third and final feeling came at a moment I distinctly remember. I could hardly breathe. I was sobbing uncontrollably and fighting with myself to remain on my feet. I felt release in joining the people around me in the rapture of the music and the rhythmic flow of energy pulsating throughout the arena. Three fourths of the way through the concert, everyone was practically drunk in the spirit. It was a frenzy of praise and worship that I hadn't experienced since my church back home.
What I love most about Hillsong is what they bring to the table. Their passion is unmistakable, and what they expect from themselves and their services, concerts, and ministry in general is excellence and life-changing testimonies. I believe that you get what you expect from God. And when people chase after something so elusive as a ground-shaking move of God, with every heart earnestly seeking, it just happens.
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