We are all born to worship. We are all created by God and within us is a vacuum or void that can only be filled by God. When we know our creator, we truly know ourselves. And this ‘knowing’ comes through worship. Worship touches the deepest places of our hearts and it satisfies our souls.
Worship is not just music. Worship can look and feel very different for all of us, because we are all created to be different.
I have a deep love for music and rhythm and I can see this natural love in our one daughter. It is something instinctive. Something that has been placed within her and me. Something that just wants to come out. Our other daughter is so playful and vivacious and always has a story to tell. This is something that has been placed in her and just needs to come out.
They are twins, but their love for God and their worship for God is expressed very differently.
By nature, we are very complicated and emotional beings and on top of all of that, our characters are formed by the experiences, good and bad, that we encounter in our lives. Even our birth order has an impact on our lives.
I was born as a middle child, and suffered the typical middle child syndrome.
“Middle children often feel left out and invisible, a contrast from their older and younger siblings. While older children get the benefits of all of the “firsts” a child accomplishes, younger children benefit from the emotional impact of being the baby of the family, often being spoiled and coddled. Middle children, however, often feel as though they have nothing special that is just “theirs.” says Dr Alfred Alder
By nature, I was a child that desperately sought affirmation and attention but did I not have the confidence to claim it. So I dreamed about being on stage, a place where I thought I would receive all the attention and affirmation that I needed. Because of my inherent love for music, I dreamed of being a singer.
In a church environment, if worship is your passion, its easy to get involved on the worship team. Here I would sing my heart out – but I am ashamed to admit – that it was for my own glory rather than for Gods glory.
I don’t believe that this angered God as He is the only one who really knew my hurts and insecurities.
Instead, he miraculously placed me be where he wanted me to be – where he created me to be. Seated at the back of the stage – on the drums. I say miraculously because I began playing the drums in the band without having had a single lesson.
Years later, I was telling the story to a young man and he gave me a completely different perspective. He said that because I had such a heart for worship, God in his grace, placed me at the very center of the band. After all, the drummer is the rhythm and the heartbeat.
That is my story, which portrays my inherent passion.
Your story may look very different. You may love nature and your heart sings to God when you are admiring His creation. Or you may be an incredible athlete and your blood really pumps for God when you are running your heart out.
Worship is about so much more than music although music is something that is enjoyed by everyone and it does have a special way of bypassing our intellect and directly impacting our emotions.
The word worship is derived from the word “worthship” It represents all those actions and attitudes that admire and honor the worthiness of God.
That means a whole lot more than just singing!
Anything we do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. God created us to worship and God desires worshipers.
Worship is a lifestyle. It’s not a part of our life … it is our life.
People have been worshiping God from the beginning of history.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day, every day.
Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the Lord as an act of Worship.
Seth’s descendants called on the name of the Lord.
After the flood, Noah built an alter to the Lord on which he presented a burned offering.
The bibles very first song was one of praise and thanksgiving and was sung after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Moses commanded the Israelites to praise God for his goodness in giving them the promised land.
The list goes on and on … but as you can see, worship takes on many different forms – from talking intimately to God to songs of Praise.
Real, honest worship takes place in spirit and in truth. It involves the human spirit (not just the mind) as well as the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Back in the Old Testament, worship was about making sacrifices to God, but since Jesus death on the cross, there is no longer any need for the shedding of blood as a part of worship.
If you truly seek God’s face through the worship in your heart, you will truly feel Gods love as he meets you where you are at.
Worship is an outward reaction in response to the inward action of God’s love.
Romans 12 v 1-2 in the Message says it perfectly;
‘So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.’
That’s what it’s all about … living our lives to bring Glory to God! Making a real difference wherever we go!
Worship begins with seeking God’s face. And it can go anywhere from there.
I have recently experienced Gods incredible presence through song, prayer, and even while running in nature. I encourage you to choose your moment to seek His face and you will be surprised by how personally and intimately He meets with you.