Worshiping Through Emotions (Oct. 4)
Read: Colossians 3:14-17, Psalm 95
Worship is an opportunity to express our love and thankfulness to God.
The act of worship is personal to everyone and can be done in private or in public. We can worship with fellow believers or around those who don’t share our beliefs. Regardless of the situation the act of worship generates emotions and moves us toward what we are worshiping. The style of our worship or level of our emotions we experience in our worship will vary depending on what is happening in our lives at that time. We are moved in life by the good and bad that occurs, and influenced by our relationships with others. Emotions reflect our happiness and sadness, enthusiasm and despair, anger and contentment, loneliness, or feelings of being loved. Throughout our worship experience we express our emotions to a loving God that understands our feelings and loves us despite our shortcomings.
Colossians 3:14-17 tells us to bind our virtues in Love. To let Christ rule in our hearts and to be “thankful”. Our worship to our Holy God is our opportunity to express our love and thankfulness for all that God has provided to us and to the world. To express how much we are in need of His grace and mercy.
Psalm 95 states, “Come, let us sing for Joy to the Lord, “For He is King”. As He has made everything, acknowledge that He created you also. He is deserving of our worship and has provided a way for us to show our love for Him and to be close to Him through worship.
Reflection/Action Step: When you worship, take an inventory of your emotions at that time. What are you struggling with? What are you thankful for? What are you focusing on? Is there something distracting you from being in the presence of God? What are you holding back from confessing to Him? Don’t hold back! There is so much freedom and release of negative emotions when we give it all to Him. He knows what we are worried about and wants to help us with all of our struggles.
Prayer: Holy Father, You know my struggles and the sorrow of my heart. You know my joys and blessings that You have bestowed on me. I seek to be close to You, to honor You, and to lift You up to worship in song, prayer, thoughts, tears and laughter. Lord help me to look through all of this to see You, to be focused on You, and to turn all of myself over to you and not hold back. Let my emotions flow to you, the creator of all the world. I give all my emotions to You and ask that You fill me with Love!
In Jesus name, Amen.
Author: Joe and Andrea Zink