It was on Route 66. The little country church that I attended for most of my childhood days. The tall windows, the steeple, the white clapboard siding and the bell tolling out across the Pennsylvania countryside all became a part of my understanding of worship.
We met God there and God met us. When the church doors were open, we were there. Rain or shine. Snow or cold. We faithfully focused on seeking God. My usual seat as a small child was behind my grandparents. On many occasions I saw the individuality of how God met with his people.
Worship Perceived
Testimonies were spontaneous as the words of the old hymns filled the confines of that space. I watched as my Grandpa would get blessed. He would begin to chuckle and then laugh as tears coursed down his cheeks. At times his cane would thump the floor as he praised his God. Between the laughs he would stand and testify to God’s faithfulness.
On the other hand, my Grandma who sat beside him did not worship as my Grandpa did. She was quiet and seldom stood to her feet, but you knew that God ministered to her heart by the smile of joy that radiated from her.
These instances and more formed my idea of worship. There were camp meetings we attended, revivals services where we prayed and rallies that were highlights in my childhood.
As the pages of life have turned and the realization comes that I’m soon to be a grandparent, my thoughts turn to the legacy of worship that was passed down to me. Simultaneously, the questions come. What legacy of worship am I leaving for the generation that follows me? Have I lifted up the greatness of God for all to see?
My understanding of worship has changed since those childhood days. It is more than church services attended or the mumbled words of a group of ragamuffin girls as they knelt and recited the Lord’s prayer each evening before bedtime.
Defining Life
Worship encompasses our life. Our lives are to be an act of worship to the God we serve. The knowledge of who God is compels us to live a life of worship. Moreover, glorifying God is to be our purpose. When we realize the greatness of the God we serve we can walk in perfect confidence throughout this life. The verse in Deuteronomy comes to mind:
“Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his works are perfect: for all his ways are judgment: A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:3 & 4
Is the life we are living ascribing greatness to our God? Are there changes to made in our lives? Are we making choices that glorify God? The focus of our lives should be to worship. We are to bring glory to God by the way we live our life, as well as the times we read his word, attend services and talk to God in prayer.
A Life of Worship
It was in the old farmhouse situated back a dirt road that I realized the impact of the “dailyness” of worship. Periodically, I would spend the night at my grandparents. When I would wake early and hear voices, I would carefully head down the creaking stairs. My progress would be arrested when I heard voices lifted in prayer. I would quietly sink to the step beneath my feet and wait. There seated on the threadbare carpet I heard my name brought before the Heavenly Father. My grandparents lifted there hearts in worship to their Creator and then carried their family to the throne room of God. As I heard the Amen, I started to stand and then I discerned the rustle of pages and caught the words of Scripture being read. This signaled to me a further wait before I could finish my descent down the stairs.
This habit of regularly meeting with God was a way of life for them. After everyone was in bed, my grandparents would end their day as they had begun. Talking with the Father and reading from his Word.
Another way my grandparents lived out their worship was the giving of a tenth of their produce to God. No, they did not sacrifice this on an altar, but they cheerfully gave of the increase of their garden to the pastor and family.
The “dailyness” of worship is found within our quiet time, as well as in the acts of service we do for others. When our morning with the Lord is interrupted by a crying baby or a distraught teenager, we must continue to worship God through the love we extend to those around us.
Service as Worship
When my home was filled with toddlers and crying babies, times with God seemed few and far between. I agonized over this absence, until I was reminded that I could talk to the Lord while washing dishes, caring for toddlers and feeding babies.
I realized that my acts of service done for my family could be a form of worship. This helped to redefine my understanding of worship. Conversation and worship with the God of the Universe throughout my day in the midst of the noise of a growing family was a life-changer. Dare I say, even a life-saver.
Peace in the Storms
Why would I say that? Because I learned that in the chaos of life I could find stillness of heart. In the storms, He was there. As I rocked my son to sleep and quieted the fears that came from nightmares God’s presence was near. Reflection on these times remind me of the storms of heart that my Heavenly Father quiets. Even today, in the political storm that we are facing I know that God can give peace of heart.
As our lives stretch out before us full of unknowns, we must quiet our soul before God. If we are to make it through the storms of this life we must keep our eyes on the greatness of God. Eyes open only to the vast array of evil and turmoil in our world will cause undue angst and despair. On the other hand, eyes on God will bring a new perspective. A quote from Brother Lawrence resonates with me.
“The world appears very little to a soul that contemplates the greatness of God. My business is to remain in the presence of God.”
Brother Lawrence
Balanced Living
As we focus on who God is the world around us fades a bit into the background. Yes, we are to live in this world and stand for our God given rights and freedoms. However, we must balance it all with the heavenly world for which we are living. Delve deep into the knowledge of the God of the Universe. Realize the greatness of the God you serve. As we give glory to God by the way we live our lives, He accepts our worship and we are held.
In summary, the following is a list of actions to help us understand all that worship encompasses. Worship is not only to be practiced in the sanctuary as corporate worship but we must realize that worship can become a way of life for each of us personally.
- Form the daily habits that take you into the Presence of God.
- Live your life in worship to the Father.
- Realize the greatness of the God you serve.
- Give glory to the One who hears and answers prayer.
- Make worship a way of life.
- Practice living in the presence of God.
- Still and know before the God of Heaven.
- Leave a legacy of faithful worship to the ones that follow you.
0 Comments