For the first time since I became a Christian, the thought I would worship better if I had a husband popped into my brain the other day. I indulged in this thought for a bit, thinking to myself "yeah, if I had a husband, I wouldn't have to worry about this aspect of my life anymore so I would be free to worship God with my whole heart." Even as I type this, I see the naivety in this thought process and thankfully pretty soon after this thought God revealed to me that this would not be the case as there is always something you can add to finish this sentence. I would worship better if…
I had more money
I had a better job
I was younger, prettier, thinner, more handsome etc.
I had no debt
I was pregnant
My friends, family, coworkers were nicer, kinder, loving etc.
and on and on the list goes. This thought of being able to worship better based on circumstances changing is not from God. God calls us to worship Him with our whole hearts, in all circumstances. This can be difficult at times as I have recently realized. So what to do when worship becomes a bit more challenging then you have previously been used to? Continue to worship, worship your way out of these qualifying sentences, worship your way out of pain, worship your way out of rejection, worship your way out of loss, worship your way out of fear, out of doubts. For as God says in His own breathed word – Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). We draw near to God through worship. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in the spirit and in truth (John 4:24). God wants nothing more than to set us free from pain, rejection, loss, fear, and doubts and it is more than possible to worship our way through and out of such things although challenging, uncomfortable, and excruciating at times.
My prayer for you is that you do what God asks us to do – worship in spirit and truth even when you may not feel like it. I am doing that right alongside you. When something creeps into your mind along the lines of I could/would worship better if, let worship renew your mind and cast out these thoughts in Jesus name. Until next time friends…
