You want to Worship God but it seems the ‘normal’ ways to Worship, Songs/Singing, leaves you dry and dissatisfied. You LOVE God and want to demonstrate that love through your Worship. The definition must be bigger than you realize. It has got to be. What can you do to Worship God in a way that feels authentic to you?
Kathleen Chapman in her book, Teaching Kids Authentic Worship, says that “practicing authentic biblical worship as God intended produces a supernatural adhesive. Simply put, an authentic biblical worship relationship with God generates glue so strong nothing on earth will break its hold.” She continues to say that it is a ‘learned’ behavior. So, let’s Learn some things about Worship that will open your mind and start the sticking process.
First, let’s think about your own definition of Worship. Some of the synonyms are: adoration, love, reverence, respect, devotion, admiration and veneration. Are any of your thoughts with these words? When I think of Worship I think of all these words rolled together. Worship IS thinking only about God because you adore, love, revere, respect, admire, and regard Him. This creates the Devotion part of the definition. So, where do you think your ‘singing’ only Worship fits in? It can be very moving to sing a Worship song if you are not distracted AND you like music.
Second, Worship is NOT about you. It IS about God. A.W. Tozer said, “Worship is to express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of . . . our Father . . .” Whoa! When is the last time you felt that? Many times we ‘tell’ God we love Him. We use the word ‘I’ before we tell Him about Himself. In Worship the focus is on Him only. Words like Glorious, Almighty, and Holy are all that needs to be said. Imagine yourself standing/kneeling before God’s throne and doing what the Angels do. . . Holy, Holy, Holy. That’s all they say. There is no thinking about themselves by saying, “We call you Holy”.
Third, in order to Worship God we HAVE TO know Him. That comes through spending time with Him in prayer and in studying His Word. It all works together. You cannot do just one part of this Christian life without doing the other parts. There is a circle formed between Prayer, Bible Study, Worship, and Service. All parts of your whole Faith-walk. You cannot do just one or even neglect one; the others will suffer.
So, now we are ready to Focus on God. We know it is about Him and we know Him. We don’t have to wait to be a scholar in order to Worship. What we do need is Focus. What are some things you naturally do to ‘get down to business’ with a project? Do you reward yourself once it is completed? Do you set a time limit? Do you pinch yourself each time you stray? Let me ask this: Is it hard to watch your favorite television program for its entire length of time? Is it hard to focus on a project you enjoy and find satisfaction in completing? What is the difference with Worship? One thing is PREPARATION.
You prepare to watch the ‘big game’ by making snacks. You prepare for doing your project by collecting all your materials. Why is it different with Worship, especially on Sunday? Have you ever thought of Preparing for your Worship? Preparation that includes Mindset as well as Focus. Come into your Worship Center ready to just Worship. That means think about God ONLY when you sing, listen to the announcements, hear scripture read, listen to the sermon, and whatever else takes place in that space. Prepare your heart (emotions), mind (thoughts), soul (values), and strength (actions). This Preparing is deliberate and connects you to God for and in Worship.
I wouldn’t be so adamant about this if there weren’t definite benefits related to Worship. I imagine you can see some of them already (know God better). AND, Worship does so much more. It blesses you (Ps 119:2), it heals you (Ex 15:26), it empowers you (Ps 28:7), it gives you spiritual protection (Heb 13:9), it delivers peace to you (Is 26:3), and it ensures purity for your heart (Phil 4:8).
Are you glued? Do you see how Worship leads to sticking with/to God? Remember, it is not about the music, it IS about Him. There are many ways you can Worship. There are many times you can Worship. Don’t relegate it to just Sunday. Find your way to Worship God.
Wise Woman, I know how busy you are. I also know that you must fill up on Him. So, plan your Worship time with Him. Each day will go much better when you fill up with God first. Then, Wise Woman, you will overflow into all the other parts of your life in a way that is good and serves others. Only by connecting to God, to His super-abundance, in a way that speaks to your heart will you be satisfied with your Faith-walk and with your Worship. AND, by developing your Personalized Faith Plan (PFP) you will know exactly how you best connect to Him. You will be given activities to incorporate into your spiritual life that will make a real difference in your faith. These activities are designed to grow your relationship with Christ in a manner true to how He has created you.
Romans 12:2 (TLB) says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.” Be satisfied in Him by Worshiping Him every day.
This is Deneen, the Titus Teacher and founder of Grow From Your Overflow, Tap into HIS Super-abundance and you will thrive.
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