God-Centered Worship (Oct. 7)
Read: Isaiah 6:8, Psalm 115
Our worship should be focused on our God and the encouragement we can bring to others through our worship.
In Isaiah 6 we see the call from God asking who will go for us and the response from Isaiah saying, “Here I am. Send me.” In that moment of Isaiah’s worship, he answered the call of God. Isaiah’s purpose became following the will of God in what God had laid out for him to accomplish.
Engaging in acts of worship helps us to transcend the distractions of the here and now by causing us to focus on a purpose greater than ourselves. The giver of the purpose, of course, is God, and that purpose is what He has called us to: to love God with our whole being and to love those around us as we love ourselves (Mt. 22.37-40).
This purpose is not overly complicated to grasp, but it can be difficult to live out daily, and almost impossible if our worship (especially our times of worship together) is focused on anything other than God. Becoming wholly committed to loving God and loving others is not something you can just turn on. Preparation and participation are key in making sure we do not waste the opportunities God gives us.
Athletes prepare and participate in their matches. Hosts prepare and participate in the entertainment of their guests. Engaged couples prepare for marriage and participate in their new life together. But how often do we prepare to participate in worshiping God together? When we come together to worship unprepared, there is a clear temptation to view the worship experience as something that needs to conform to my needs. We lose sight of what we are there to do in the hectic schedule of our lives.
Preparing to participate in corporate worship must involve times of personal worship and reflection throughout the week. This can look very different from person to person or even from day to day. Our daily to-do lists can be acts of worship. Saying a quick prayer of thanks for clothing before tackling that mound of laundry changes a mundane task into an act of worship by thanking God for the clothes you have.
In the unique position I have, I am blessed each week with seeing our church family worship God. I never want you to doubt the encouragement that truly worshiping God brings to other believers. Being in a room full of people worshiping God is an act of love as each person is sharing their worship and adding their voice to praise our heavenly Father.
Action Step: Make a list of things that need to be done this week. Underneath each one, write how you can turn that task into an act of worship to God. Then do it!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you alone are worthy of all praise and adoration. Help me, Father, to remain focused on you. Guide my idle thoughts to your character and the blessings you have given so generously. Direct me to be an encouragement through my worship of you. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen.
Author: Tim Gallegos