One of the most delightful aspects of following Christ is the joy and honour of being able to worship God. The spiritual act of worshipping God is a way of life, where we offer our entire life to Him by living in a holy manner that is pleasing to Him. There are also many outward expressions of worship available to us.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
Worship is:
recognising
acknowledging
declaring
delighting in
God’s:
goodness
holiness
faithfulness
love
Outwardly Expressed though:
spending time with Him while sitting at His feet
thanking and praising Him
delighting our heart in Him
adoring Him with songs of praise and worship
writing, prayer, reading and meditating on His Word.
living holy lives that are pleasing to God
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. Psalm 99:5
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:12
It can be difficult to worship God when our lives are beset with troubles. There have been times in my life when I said sadly, “I don’t feel like worshipping God right now.” However, to surrender ourselves to the act of worshipping God, even during our trials, is a liberating experience as by doing so, we are recognising God’s sovereignty over all things. And more, it is fulfilling our created function - He created us to worship Him. Selwyn Hughes wrote, “Nothing is more important that the worship of the One who holds my life in His hands. Because He is God then I know that no matter how things might look to the contrary, all will be well. Thus my heart delights to worship Him.”
Below is a worship poem that I wrote while still recovering from depression. Although I had struggled to consistently worship God during depression's blackest phase, when He restored hope to my life, I once again abandoned myself to the pursuit of adoring and worshipping Him with every fiber of my being.
Who Do I Dream About? - 13/4/1991
At whose feet do I sit,
while gazing adoringly into His face,
as He sits upon His throne?
At whose feet I throw myself,
so delighted to meet Him face to face?
Who is He who fellowships with me
as I enter into His Presence?
His Name is Jesus.
He is the desire of my heart.
In Him do I truly delight.
Earth has nothing that I desire besides Him,
And who do I have in heaven but Him,
the One who made all things.
He made me for Himself.
I am His, and He is mine.
He made me to fellowship with Him for all eternity.
And this is my deepest joy - to be with Him.
He is my obsession, my soul desire, my life and inspiration.
And as I lift my voice in praise,
He meets me, for He is enthroned on the praises of His people.
And His love for me is unconditional.
He sees all of my inadequacies, failings, fears and inhibitions,
And yet He loves me still.
He sees my mistakes, sin, weaknesses and imperfections,
And yet He loves me still.
His Name is indeed Wonderful, for He is Wonderful beyond words.
And regardless of how weak I am,
He never tires of me, for His love is eternal.
He is the Eternal Father of love.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25
Saturday, May 10, 2014
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So very true Peter. It can be difficult to worship God when we are going through difficulty. Like you poem and so get it!
ReplyDeleteYour post really warmed my soul Peter, especially your poem. Thank you for sharing your heart, which is always seeking after God.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Peter!
ReplyDeletePraising GOD with you,
andrea
Carrie @ comfortedbyGod.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi Peter!
Awesome reminder to draw near to God no matter what life brings. My health has been rocky lately so Ive had to relearn this all over again.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteIt is always a good thing to worship God, but oh so impossible to do when we are depressed. I have learned that just gazing at the stars or walking through the woods can be worshipping God. We need not feel pressured, those of us who live with the challenge of depression, to worship God in the traditional way. It is so hard to do that when you are depressed. But we don't need to feel guilty about it because God already knows what we are going through. Just whispering his name can be enough!
Powerful, my friend. I need this reminder constantly. Thanks for your transparency.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and encouraging verses! I love the way you write out the various expressions of worship of God.
It can be indeed be difficult to worship God when our lives are beset with troubles. But as you said so well, to surrender ourselves to the act of worshipping God, even during our trials, is a liberating experience as by doing so, we are recognising God’s sovereignty over all things. Thank God for His love and mercies. This has been my experience too during severe depression.
Take care and have a blessed weekend and Lord's day.
Blessings,
Nancie
I was glad to read your post about worship. One of the best descriptions I've seen. I feel so crushed that I cannot find God in worship. I am afraid of praying and raising my hands in front of others at church. I need prayer. Thank you.
ReplyDelete@Rose, I get it. I am with you. For me, I most times have to use music especially the hymns - old time hymns, sometimes with instrumental piano. I force myself to remember times when God came through for me, even as the enemy shouts that God has forgotten me and he does not care.
ReplyDeleteThen I remember that this world is temporary and Jesus will be back soon - the end of pain and disappointment.