Worship

When do you worship?  On Sundays?  Whenever you go to church?  When you read the Bible?  When you work?  When you are blessed?  When you meet tragedy?  What does worship mean to you?  Worship is typically defined as reverent love or devotion, respect, admiration, or worthiness...  But what does it mean to you...and more importantly what does it mean to God?  The scriptures call us to worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24).  It is an action we are to DO to and for God.

 

When I think of worship, I most often think music sung to God in or out of church to proclaim our love for Him and what He's done for us.  You might agree...this is a Christian's basic understanding of the act of worship...but I think God asks more than that of us...  If worship is reverent love, devotion, respect, etc. then it should reflect more than just our singing talents, right?  Worship should be in the WAY we sing, the WAY we work, play, eat, live, laugh, and cry.  Again, you probably agree...though I think we all need a reminder of this every now and then...but that last part is what gets me...to worship even when we are brought to tears (whether in joy or sadness)!

 

Get this verse about David's worship after the death of his son:

¹⁹ When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, "Is the baby dead?"  "He is dead," they replied.  ²⁰ Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the LORD's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested [something to eat]. So they served him food, and he ate.  ²¹ His servants asked him, "What did you just do? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food."  ²² He answered, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.' ²³ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I'll go to him, but he will never return to me." (2 Samuel 12:19-23)

Even on one of the most difficult and sad days of David's life, he got up, brushed himself off, WENT to God, and worshiped!  My point is this, if we are to worship in spirit and in truth, then even our pained, anguished cries to God should be worshipful.  What does that look like?  I think the answer to that is in the Psalms...  I stumbled accross these the other day:

"O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!" (Psalm 141:1)

 

and

 

"Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1)

...There are so many examples of worship hidden away in the plain sight of scripture, all we need to do is open it up!  Even the writing of the Word was worshipful!  Jesus' cry out to God before the Crucifixion was worshipful.  I know it's easy to worship in joy and through blessing...but I think we can experience something SO much greater when we worship through the darknesses of life!