We celebrate what matters in our lives in multiple ways. Whether it is a sports team or our devices, we praise the things that have significantly impacted our lives. Many of us find ourselves attempting to create a distinction between these types of things and the acknowledgment of God, but where we apply our worship is an indicator of our genuine affection. Remembering the finished work of Jesus and the sheer amazement that it would be true in our lives leads us to a posture of thanksgiving. Psalm 95:1–3 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
I have never really been much of a singer. In the times at church when there would be an opportunity to lift our voices corporately in worship, I’d usually find myself holding back a bit. I always knew it to be accurate but never really thought about why. I began to ask the Lord to show me, in my heart, the reasons why I was withholding a bit of my enthusiasm. It turned out that the source of my issue was quite simple. I was getting in my way. I realized that I had been so focused on my experience, comfort, and a singing voice that I forgot the basic premise of the time. It was to acknowledge and elevate the King of Glory and to exalt His name. Too much of me in the equation caused me to divert my focus unhealthily.
Repositioning and deepening my concentration on the purpose of worship helped me to purify my approach to worship and adjust my understanding of its benefits. Many people I’ve talked to have expressed that they are growing bored with the ordinary means of experiencing God in their life or their church. This is alarming because we know God is not a source that can or will run dry of goodness and engagement. We need to search for that which is ancient rather than relevant. We can make this mysterious and grand connection in our rhythm of worship. Lifting Jesus’s name simply for who He is and what He’s done gives me great confidence and mediates my heart’s pursuits. When we have a posture of worship, it leads us to a place of understanding of God’s power and glory and then helps to settle our angst and longing.
Lifting His name reveals the other “names” or things we’ve given affection and attention to. As our idols are exposed, we can surrender their hold or appeal to us to experience what God has for us. It is easy for us to move to a very self-focused and self-centered way of living, even inside our church experience. We can make it all about our comfort, preferences, and takeaways from the time. Giving our hearts to a rhythm of worship repositions our perspective, leading us to remember the reason for it all.
Check out the ninth episode of QAVA’s Reset series to learn more about the spiritual discipline of worship.
