This isn't about me, God.

worship1. to show profound religious devotion and respect to; adore or venerate (God or any person or thing considered divine)
2. to be devoted to and full of admiration for
3. to have or express feelings of profound adoration
I've been thinking a bit about worship. How do we worship God? Should we feel something fuzzy inside? Should it be solemn? Should it be wild dancing? Do you have to be happy to worship? Can you cry out in worship? Maybe the beautiful thing about worship is that there's no set standard for how to do it. We have our times of corporate prayer and singing, but I do also believe God speaks to people in different ways. Maybe my journaling my thoughts to God produces the same affect as you strumming out some praise chords on a piano. Or maybe it's just star-gazing. Like Romans 1 - creation is evidence for God's existence. When I see mountain ranges or the ocean, I get this sudden overwhelming feeling about God; that I am so very small and He is so very mighty and loving. I can't quite describe it. It's like my heart is yearning for something bigger, and that thirst is answered by God.

All this to say, I think worship begins when we make the effort to stop getting so caught up in our own problems and we look at God and our hearts are filled with wonder and thanksgiving. That moment when we decide to surrender to the One who gave us life in the first place. And this should be a continual thing, constantly on our hearts and minds. You know, like that little book "Practicing the Presence of God". Obviously, setting aside time to read through your Bible and pray is beneficial, but I think sometimes for me, it becomes a chore; it becomes routine and it's half-hearted. Like you were assigned a math lesson and you completed the problems just to check it off the list. I don't want it to become a boring task.

This isn't a retaliation against discipline or a set order for reading through your Bible. This is needed. I revert back to the opposite end of the spectrum and fall into the trap of picking up the Bible only when I feel like it; when I'm in a rough spot or a spritual high. But this is to say that God can't just be another one of our priorities to check off so we can feel good about ourselves. He can't be confined to a 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM (M - F) time slot, coming after breakfast but before Geography. Neither can our worship be limited to 15 minutes of worship music, coming after the reading of Scripture and before offertory. I think it's intended that the whole service be one act of worship. Different means of praising the same wonderful God. "All that we are, responding to all that God is".

Granted, this hasn't come true in my life yet. I'm still learning to give all my heart to God. Surrending everything to Him, giving my fears and joys and dreams away. When you stop and think about it, it's an extremely challenging task. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". Eesh! Every emotion directed by Him, every sin confessed to Him, every thought taken captive for Him. That's what worship is - all of me focused on all of Him, all of the time. We're never going to fully attain such a high goal in this life, but I think we had better give it our best - after all, it's required of us. It's not about the loud music or making sure you feel some sort of tingling. It's quieting your heart in front of God and letting Him be the center of your adoration, whether that be through poetry or dance or prayer. Here we are Lord, refine us so can testify like David who said, "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

"It scares me to hear people walk out of events and say

'I didn't think much of the worship'.

Are we forgetting that worship is not for us but for God

and that any blessing that we receive from the activity is merely a bonus?"

- Andy Frost