Do you remember what it was like to be in love with God? Do you remember having a passion for Him?
It was great, wasn’t it? And then life happened. You and I got busy, we got sidetracked, we let other “loves” steal our hearts away.
Recently, I was wondering why I wasn’t as passionately in love with God as I used to be. And then it dawned on me the one thing I let slip away: Worship.
I’m not talking about 20 minutes of singing on a Sunday morning. I’m talking about a focused adoration of God, dwelling on His character, focusing on Who He is and losing ourselves in the process.
So I decided to get back to focused worship. I put in an old CD of Matthew Ward’s (remember him from the 1970s group The Second Chapter of Acts?). As I played the song “I Will Worship Him” I wrote down each characteristic of God’s that is mentioned in that song and I was ushered back into His presence.
If you want to go there too, click on this link and worship Him with me before reading the rest.
As I began to focus on God’s character, I realized once again why worship is so very important for my soul and my relationship with God:
- Worship reminds me that He is God and I am not. Therefore, He is worthy of my surrender, my obedience, my praise and my adoration. He is also beyond my questions, undeserving of my complaints, and so far above my own reasoning. How can I even question Him when He is God and I am not?
- Worship re-prioritizes my life. Because He is God and I am not, He must be first and everyone and everything else must come after Him. My, how easy it is to let other people, interests, and even myself slide up that scale of importance in my life. Yet when He is at the top (and worshiping Him puts Him back on the throne of my life) everything else falls into proper place.
- Worship reshapes my heart. How can I be bitter at a circumstance or unforgiving of a person after I’ve been in the presence of God? How can I be full of myself after emptying myself out to focus on the Only One who is worthy of praise? Imagine how even five minutes a day of focused worship can begin to change you and me!
- Worship reignites the flame for Him. The more I think of God, praise Him, and focus on His attributes, the more I grow in my love for Him. When I first married, I remember commuting an hour to work and as I drove I was thanking God the whole way for my husband…his wisdom, his generosity, his intelligence, his love for God, his love for me. Can you imagine how speaking aloud Hugh’s positive qualities kept Hugh in the forefront of my mind and heart? It works the same with God. The more we recount, recite, and remind ourselves of Who He is and all the wonderful things about Him, the more deeply in love with Him we will be.
As busy as you are this time of year, can you begin to worship the One whose love for you is what Christmas is all about? Then let’s start right now. Give me one, two, or three words in the comment section that describe Who God is and why He’s worthy of your praise.
God is worthy because I never have to question his motives because I know he is working all my negatives into positives. He cares for me and will give me every good thing according to his will for my life.
Beautifully said, Sabreena. Thank you for worshiping Him with me this evening. 🙂
Three words are not enough, this is a man who stood by me when I had no one, this is the Father that loved me when my own father denied me, this is a friend that sat with me when all my so called friends turned their backs on me, He is my Life.
That is so precious. Thank you for sharing with me and my readers Who His is and what He has done in your life.
Well for me to He first loved me, and He’s constantly wooing me to Himself. I live and move and have my being in Him. (Acts 17:28) And of course I worship Him, He is my Bridegroom. He even told me in Song of Songs today: “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like s flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing…Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely…All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” Captivated by Jesus wooing and winning His bride…you. He is worthy!!!! To be Praised!!! All Glory to Him.
Thank you, Tina, for that sweet reminder of how He speaks to us through His Word and continues to pursue our hearts.
God is worthy because He keeps and sustains me when I think that I can’t go on – okay I’m crying while writing – Daddy, I love you!
Oops, He takes me there (o:
Thank you, Dee-Dee, for your response. 🙂
Worth
Alpha and Omega
Sweet rose of Sharon
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Creator of the heaven and the Earth
Friend
Daddy
Thank you for those reminders of Who He is, Janine. I know the description “Daddy” resonates with my readers in a particularly meaningful way. 🙂
God is good because He made us, and we are his. Worthy because He gave us His precious Son, to give hope for all that believe. Thanks for your blog Cindi. The music and the opportunity to leave a comment stirred my heart to praise His name all day long.
Thank you, Linda, for taking the time to respond. I’m so glad you were able to experience a worshipful day. Worship changes us, as well as glorifies Him, doesn’t it?
He knows my name, He knows my every tought, He sees each tears that drop, He hears me when i call. His love lifted me
Thank you for your response, Seun. He is intimately acquainted with all your ways (Psalm 139).
As my relationship with my husband is crumbling, I also realize how far away from God I feel. I am so glad I stumble upon this article, Cindi. I am getting back into praying more,but I left behind the worship part. Thank you for the reminder.
Olga, I’ve found that as I focus on worship and drawing closer to God, I am able to be a better wife and better handle whatever comes my way in marriage. Thank you for sharing your heart and I pray you will be strengthened in your marriage as you draw closer to Him.
Thank you all.
The Lord is the love of my life. He is my counselor, he is my protector, he gives me my strength to endure all things. He is my creator, my heavenly Father and I will worship no one or anything but Jesus. Amen
Thank you, Anna, for those beautiful words. They are sweet to His ears, I’m sure. 🙂
God is worthy because he strengthens me when I am weak he is my healer my deliver. I need more of him and less of me, He loves me even when I dont deserve it. He never lets go when I am hurting.
Thank you for those wonderful reminders of Who He is, Dee. 🙂
He is my Abba Father, He is my protectors,&advocate, He is my peace. He is fighting for me and keeping me right now where I am in life. He’s really so many things. I just worship him because he’s being everything I need.
Shampayne, thank you for letting us know how you have experienced His faithfulness through the years.
Cindi, you r the best. I have loved ur writings for years and have spoken to u in emails. Thank you. I love the responses all the ladies gave here. Sadly I struggle with bitterness and a hard heart and can barely pray anymore. I hear people say God comforts and counsels and is there for people during their worst times. I don’t see that in my life. I’m angry at God and tired of life. I’m sorry.
Connie, thank you for being honest and real. I’m so sorry you are angry and hurt right now. Life gets tough sometimes. And we don’t understand why. And we expect that God is going to be there for us and do for us what we want. And when He doesn’t act according to our expectations, disillusionment and anger sets in. But, Connie, there is a deep, inner peace that comes from surrendering our will, our perceived rights, and our expectations, and simply saying “God, I don’t understand WHY, but I don’t need to anymore. You are the Creator and I am merely the created. You are the potter and I am your lump of clay.” I know it’s easier said than done but when we get past ourselves, we can finally see Him. When we let go of our expectations and realize we have nothing and no control, anyway, we can begin to see Him at work. That is my prayer for you today.
Cindy, thank you so much for replying. I pulled your books back off my shelf and hopefully this time will apply what I learned. You are an amazing author and I truly appreciate you getting back to me. Connie green
I’m a man and came across your site. I will forward this to all my sisters and my former wife as well.
God is soooooo faithful and forgiving. As a father whose made mistakes I wish I was that forgiving and understanding of my own children. I am now!
Thank you, Billy, for your comments, and for wanting to share this with the women in your life. 🙂
Jesus He is the greatest Gift to humanity,I love God so much,when I praise Him I just surrender my all to Him and I let go and get lost in His awesome presence. I praise Him because He is worthy and deserving of my praise.
Thank you for your comment and your words of worship and praise to the Only One, Christ Jesus, who is worthy. 🙂 Have a blessed new year.
This has been one heck of a year. Since Feb, God was faithful and brought my grandson to live with me. In May, He was my protector when I was in a motorcycle accident. He has been my strength through the whole ordeal and He is my comforter as I am getting ready for another operation on my hand. He is my healer.
Thank you for commenting. Praying now to Jehovah Rapha (the Lord, our Healer) for your upcoming surgery.
God is Awesome. He has kept me and directed my life and thank you for help getting me back on track to worship Him more.
You’re welcome. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
The Lord is my maker, my strength and confident. In Him I live and have my being! He is glorious and awesome in all His way. No one like Him, He loves me way more than I love Him and am grateful for His love. The thought of how faithful He has been even in my unfaithfulness puts a smile on my face and causes me to trust Him more. My God is a game changer and lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a godly
inheritance. Praise be unto Him forevermore!
Thank you for responding with those beautiful words that describe your relationship with Him, Celine. ?