Prioritizing Worship When Life Is Hard….And When It Is Good.

If you have ever entered church, barely putting one foot in front of another because of the swirl of out-of-your-control circumstances going on in your life, you have prioritized worship over fear of the unknown.

If you have ever chosen to make your reason for going to church God alone, amid church hurt, you have prioritized worship over disappointment.

If you have ever raised your voice in praise while tears of grief poured down your face, you have prioritized worship over pain.

If you have ever brought your offering to the Lord when you had no idea where the groceries would come from next, you have prioritized worship over physical needs.

If you have risen before the sunrise or stayed up late into the night to seek your Father’s face, you have prioritized worship over rest.

If you have ever welcomed your non-church attending guests into your home, but chose to go to church anyway, you have prioritized worship over people.

If you have ever explained to your children that every blessing you enjoy has come from God, and He is worthy of time set aside to worship Him alone, you have prioritized worship over the distractions of life.

How does worship change us in every circumstance of life?

• Worship remembers what God has done in the past, who God is, and what God has promised.

⁹ Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9

• Worship eases the most difficult experiences of life because it focuses on an unchanging God who keeps the world from spinning out of control.

⁶ Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6

• Worship lifts our eyes from the temporary to the eternal.

²⁷ The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms:
and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee;
and shall say, Destroy them. Deuteronomy 33:27

• Worship keeps us from forgetting God in our abundance.

And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: ¹¹ And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. Deuteronomy 26:10-11

• Worship prevents us from chasing things that will leave us empty and disappointed.

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; ¹⁷ And then the LORD’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Deuteronomy 11:16-17

• Worship teaches our children what truly matters in this life.

Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: ¹³ And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. Deuteronomy 31:12-13

• Worship directs our trust from people to God alone.

Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵ Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Deuteronomy 4:34-35

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in this life is to prioritize the worship of God above all other circumstances, fears, disappointments, people, and griefs. By making the worship of God the reason I go to church, I overcome slights, offenses, and frustrations with people by recognizing the greatness of the One who saved, redeemed, restored, and leads me still. By prioritizing worship as the reason I give, I learn to trust the One who provides my every breath. By prioritizing worship as the motivation for prayer, Bible reading, and service, I can avoid just going through the motions or burning out. By prioritizing worship, I teach my children that God is worthy of all we are, all we have, and to whom our best belongs. By prioritizing worship, what could be considered trauma becomes a place of trust and peace. How will you prioritize worship today?

Have a blessed weekend, my friends.

Erica B.