Worship

Worship is at the heart of my relationship with God. I know it is a pivotal point in many people’s, but for me, if I don’t posture my heart toward God in worship, I’m not in a good place. Worship has given me countless moments with God that have pushed me to pursue Him even more. Worship has always pushed me to find God in the midst of the hard moments. In times when I did not know if I would find God, worship reminded me He was the same God in the hard moments as He was on the mountain tops.

 Worship brings us to a state of remembrance (s/o to Housefires for finally releasing I’ll Give Thanks). Just hearing that song brings me back to moments of intercession this past year whether it was a lead prayer, weekly staff prayer meetings, or personal moments. This one song reminds me of all God did throughout the entire year. It reminds me that there is so much more to believe in. I can point to so many songs that bring me back to these deep wells with God.
 
 Worship is like a spiritual reset button. This has been true throughout my entire college experience and into a summer that was characterized by difficulty. Summers are hard. Summers physically away from community are especially hard. Worship reminds me of the character of God when the ways that He works in my life has not been so evident.

 Worship has meant everything to my relationship with God this summer. I have been in a season that has been defined by resting in the actual character of God over any promises or anything I think I hear from God. When my mind and heart have not known how to trust God, my soul has remembered the person I’m trusting in when I have taken the space and time to worship.

The hard thing is worship in the summer outside of church can be hard, depending on how you define worship. Worship can look like playing worship music in your room at home, your apartment, or even just in a coffee shop. It’s not necessarily about the setting, it’s about the posture of your heart. If you aren’t feeling worship music that day, the book of Psalms can be a great tool to use to say over yourself, write down on a sticky note to read throughout the day, etc. Worship has to do with our positioning toward God.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1

Worship doesn’t even have to do necessarily with singing, it can be about the way we respond to the world around us. Worship puts God in His rightful place, it lifts Him up. So, if you’re at work and in a moment where you could be frustrated and take it out on your team, if you choose to serve and love them the best way you know how to, that is worship. Worship is any point where we can take the focus off ourselves and onto God.
 
When we worship, it postures our hearts to receive from God. That should never be the intention of worship. We should not worship just to treat it like a magic 8-ball that will give us the answer to every question. Worship just opens up the space for God to reveal Himself, and as He does so, our hearts and minds are set right. When our hearts and minds are right, we are better set up to hear God’s voice through all the other voices coming at us from our friends, family, culture, etc.

Author | Cristina Rosiles