Weeklong Worship
There is nothing quite like a Sunday morning immersed in worship. Hands lifted and a song released, this sacred time is a longing and a priority in my life.
However, worship is not only reserved for church service on Sunday, and when we truly understand what worship is, it can change our hearts in ways we never imagined.
What Is Worship?
I love how Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline, describes the corporate discipline of worship. He says, “It [worship] is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit.”
Simply put, worship is our response to our connection with Him.
We live our lives a certain way because of our bond with Christ. We pray a certain way because of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. And we praise the Father for all things because of our longing to be at His feet.
As daughters of the Most High, it is essential that we live lives of worship. But, we must be careful not to place a high priority on what we are doing over Whom we are glorifying!
You see, sometimes we get so caught up in the doing – serving on Sundays, leading small groups, attending meetings, and engaging in outreach – that we aren’t leaving space to minister to the Lord.
And while these are all good things, you are missing the mark if your goal is to fill your calendar instead of your heart with the very essence of who God is.
Keep Your Mind Set on God
So how do we make worship a priority in our lives?
It is easy to lose sight of God in the struggles and mundane of every day. This is why it is important to ask Holy Spirit to help you remember to invite God into your day as the Leader and Perfector of your steps.
This can look like thanking God for your job as you are commuting to your office.
It can also be a time of asking God to overflow in your words and actions when an encounter leaves you feeling disrespected.
And it can even look like thanking God for a clean heart through Christ as you scrub this evening’s dinner dishes.
Worship is simply returning glory to God for all He has done and is doing on the earth and in your heart.
Prepare Your Heart Before Sunday Service
One thing we may miss is that even before we get ready for church on Sunday, we must be intentional about preparing our hearts throughout the week for worship.
Think about it; we go to worship gatherings on Sunday because we have a holy expectancy that God will meet us there!
But what if we took care in how we treated the place where God would inhabit the praises of His people?
Arrive Early
Those who are engaged in a worship-filled lifestyle are needed in the church. Not only do you hold the holy anointing of praise within you, but we need that gift within the church body.
Consider arriving early to pray for:
those who will be in attendance
those who are unsaved
that God’s presence would be made manifest in the service
that lives would be touched and healed
the pastor and every person participating in that morning’s service
It is an honor to pray for the Spirit of God to move!
Appreciate Your Place of Worship
In the early church, followers of Jesus were doing church with their families and communities through house churches. They all came together for discipleship and to live the kind of lives Jesus called them to.
Vastly different from today, we have millions of churches accessible to us. We have been given the gift and honor to steward that well through worship, both in song and in how we reflect Jesus in our lives.
Examine Your Worship
Richard Foster says, “If worship does not change us, it has not been worship.”
That makes sense, right? If worship is when our spirit meets God’s spirit, yet our lives don’t show proof that we have been with God, chances are, you didn’t experience true worship.
Is your life showing that you have met with Jesus?
Is your heart loving the one in front of you?
Are you walking in victory from temptation?
Now, I get it if you are in a season of struggle; we all have been there. And this is why it is so important to connect with God’s presence on Sunday and the week that follows.
Life may be complicated right now, but remember, there are new mercies every morning with Jesus. Examine your heart, admit where you are, and repent.
And ask Him to help you live a life of worship in the ordinary. Seek His face, and turn your eyes toward heaven in every circumstance.
Because in worship, there is everlasting freedom, forgiveness, and fellowship found with the One who loves you.