Transformed By Worship

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalms 73:21–26)

One way think about worship is being in the presence of God. You cannot worship without being in God’s presence. It is impossible to come into the his presence and not be effected.

That is why worship is so crucial to living out the extraordinary way of Jesus which we are called to live. It is crucial because each of us lives in a world where many voices claim to be God, they try to name us, they seek to provide for us ultimate significance in life, they call for our worship. But, they, kill and destroy. They sound so convincing: “If you had just a little bit more money, you would finally be secure.” “If you lost those last few pounds, you would never feel anxious.” “If your spouse would only change in this way, they you would be content.” “If you finally got that job, promotion, car, degree, spouse . . . things would finally be ok.”

Many things try to be God and seek our worship. Good or bad things, it makes no difference, when they seek to be God — when the fear of losing them is terrifying — the result is fear, anxiety and worry.

Worship is fuel; it ignites and burns with the power of the object of our worship. If God, it will ignite and burn in hope and freedom. In its flames we will live and move and have our being without anxiety. We will fully live as God intended in our work, school, marriage and church. But if we worship that which is not God, it ignites and fuels worry, fear and striving. We will become less than God intends for us in all of those same areas. What we worship will lead us into deeper and deeper degrees of freedom, hope and peace or deeper and deeper degrees of slavery and fear.

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

When we come into the presence of God, we experience the freedom, hope and peace that releases us into our role as co-creators with him. Worshiping God well and often is crucial to experiencing the extraordinary life he has planned for you.

Peace, hope and love

Doug