Living Life as Worship

Lately the Lord has been speaking to me a lot about worship.  Whenever His messages to me are of recurring themes, I know enough now to sit up and pay attention.  Checking my concordance, I found that worship or some form of the word is found 198 times throughout scripture, 80 in the New Testament, 118 in the Old.  These occurrences are spread very evenly throughout the Bible.  One could conclude that worship must be important to our Lord God.  But just what is worship and how does it impact how I live life daily?

Too many of us hear the word worship and immediately identify with our favorite praise songs, group or old hymn.  After all, do we not call a segment of our services, praise and worship?  How often do churches actually advertise that there is a worship service at such and such a time?  So we attend these services, participate in the singing and perhaps even dance, jump, clap, etc. and say, we have worshipped our Lord.  When it is all over, we head to our cars, maybe humming a song that has stuck and head on our way.  Is worship then over?

As I am able to experience different settings and different "worship" styles, I sometimes have to struggle with what is being presented as worship.  Sadly often times it is a performance of worship.  I find myself focusing on the wrong aspect of what is occurring.  If the music is too loud, or the members of the praise team are off-key, not in harmony or simply independently doing their own thing, I find myself distracted instead of "ushered into the Throne Room."  Lately however, the Lord is clarifying something very important for me.  He is asking me, "Since when do you need to be ushered into a place to which you already have full access?"  Ouch!  He was right on.  I was expecting someone to do something that would open that door for me so I could then walk through.  The Lord is saying to me, "I did not close that door.  Since when can you not just come in and enjoy intimacy with me?"

Our in-depth conversation continued.  "What are your words that invite my presence?"  I began thinking about some of the things that have passed through my lips over the past few weeks and I realized that in no way shape or form could those words be called worship.  What was I thinking?  The problem was I was not.  Instead I was focusing on stuff that was happening in life and allowed my flesh to take over as I grumbled and complained about this stuff.  I had to ask myself, "Whatever happened to praising your way through every situation?"  Clearly I had forgotten some of the important principles - kingdom principles - that I knew.

Psalm 89:15-16 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness.  According to Webster's dictionary, exult means to rejoice exceedingly; to triumph.  In the preceding sentence we read, they rejoice all day long.  So we go from rejoicing all day long to rejoicing exceedingly - first in His wonderful reputation then in His righteousness.  Do you read anywhere the words, sing or play instruments?  No, me either.  In other words, our call to worship is lifting Him up with our words heralding who God is, and not just occasionally, but all day long.  When was the last time you celebrated who God is in your life all day long without slipping in some negative thoughts along the way?  Thought so. I am guilty too.

Psalm 50:14-15 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." God wants our sacrifices of thanksgiving.  We are called to honor Him with what pleases Him, recognition of who He is and what He has accomplished in our lives.  This is personal and individual.  I don't believe He wants generic thanks that is so broad it fails to pertain to my life and how much He loves me and has worked on my behalf.  The challenge of corporate worship as we have become accustomed to it today is that we are spectators and are expecting someone else to offer these sacrifices to Him on our behalf.  Jesus broke that model when He tore the veil separating us from the Holy of Holies.  We can now enter this place for ourselves and speak to Him on our own behalf.  Acknowledge and love Him for what has happened in our own lives. 

Take note of the second half of that quotation above - call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.  Also the next verse in Psalm 89 - verse 17 You are their glorious strength. Our power is based on your favor.  Both of these verses relay to us that there is power in our worship.  This is a life giving connection to the power source of God Himself.  He will save us from our trouble when we call on Him; He will be our glorious strength - not just strength but glorious strength.  However it is based on relationship.  When we exalt in that relationship He has with us and all that He has done for us in sacrificing Jesus, we are restored into that incredible harmony with the Triune Godhead.  What indescribable power dwells in that restored relationship!

I want my daily life to be worship of my King and my Lord.  I want more than I can explain to enter into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him. I know that is what He is waiting for me to do, not for someone to do for me.  This is up to me.  I must harness the power of my tongue to be an instrument of worship 24/7, no matter where I am, no matter what the circumstances of my life are.  I need Him desperately and I don't want to go through anyone anymore.  I want and need one on one time with my Lover God.  I will now guard against any third parties in my intimate place with Him.  Call it the Bridal Chamber, call it your mountain top experience, call it whatever you want.  The description does not matter; what matters is what happens when you are there.  Call out to Him and He will answer.  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.  Don't settle for less!!!