Want To Worship

Today when I asked my mom if she was going to take our dog for a walk, she replied, "I don't really want to." My auto-response to this was: "It's not about what you want, but about what you need to do." Because #FitLife is good.

But then the conviction hit me— how often have I not prayed, or read my bible or worshipped because the feeling and the want just weren't there?

And I know that I was made to worship him, through the good, the bad and the ugly of life. I know that I need to praise Him in the storm, in the valley, and in the hurt. I may not want to or feel like it, but I believe it is so crucial that I do.

The bible speaks of this often:
2 Corinthians 6:10 “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, I will say it again: Rejoice!”

God even commands us to rejoice in our trials (James 1:2-3), not because of them, but because the trials are crafting us into the people that God wants us to be.

As much as it is in our broken human nature to sulk and complain, instead we need to lay our worries at the feet of Jesus, and ask Him to give us a heart change and to show us His hand in the midst of the struggle. It's not at all easy, but I do believe that when we focus on God and all His splendour, grace and glory, it is kind of hard to stay in that dark place of negativity, sadness and/or frustration.

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11

I love a good little list, so I came up with 3 notes to self to remind myself in the moments when the want to worship or wait on Jesus isn't there. Nothing ground-shaking, but sometimes it's just the simple truth that we need most.

1. Honesty is the best policy
God already knows. Don't waste time trying to fool Him. Don't try and fake it til you make it with God. He sees your tiredness and apathy and lack of desire. And even still, He loves you dearly and longs for you to be with him.

Come open and honest. Tell Him about about the dullness and coldness of your heart. Get real with Jesus and ask Him to help you worship. Ask the Holy Spirit to breathe life and work in your heart and enable you to feel joy, awestruck wonder, and longing for His presence.

2. Trust that God is at work
Don’t focus on all the problems and frustrations of today and on the shortcomings of your own hear, but instead turn to God with faith and trust that He will meet you, and change you into the person that He wants you to be. Phil 1:6 tells us that we should be"confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." God is still at work. We are not a finished product. But open your life up before Him, soften your heart and let the Potter shape you and make you more like Jesus. Let Him renew your heart and mind and re-align your desires, including the want to worship God, to His heart.

3. Cling to the truth
Just because I'm feeling something, doesn't make it true. We need to learn to differentiate our feelings from the truth. Come back, again and again, to the Word and promises of God. This is one of the reasons why I believe learning the Word off by heart is so important— when I don't feel xyz, I can remind myself of what is real and true in the scripture of God. Here are just a few of the promises to hold onto when the feeling is gone:

1 Chronicles 29:11 — Our God deserves the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is His. He is exalted as head over all.
Jeremiah 29:13 — When we seek Him with all our hearts we will find Him.
John 6:35 — When we come to Jesus our thirst will be satisfied.
Psalm 63:3-4 — His love for us is better than life and draws us to glorify and praise Him.
Psalm 34:15,17 — When we pray He will answer us.
Matthew 28:20 — He is always with us until the end of time.

When you praise God and lose yourself in His presence (even when you don’t feel like it) you will find that your worries, fears, and whatever might be holding you back will slowly fade away like fog in the early morning.

Let's praise God for all that He is, and rather than focusing on the struggles of life, let's focus on His awesome glory, grace, and His unparalleled, unwavering love for us. In that, maybe we'll find the want to worship Him always.