Anyway Worship

It had been a rough couple of weeks. No single major catastrophe, just a lot of little things nipping at my heels.

I was discouraged.  Feeling sorry for myself, really.

So when I entered worship in the gym that Sunday morning, I hoped God would see it from my perspective and join my pity party.

He didn’t. Turns out, God doesn’t roll like that. In fact, He does things altogether differently.

If you want to know how to join God where He is, start thanking Him. If you want to know how to rest where He dwells, start singing His praise.

Sometimes it’s easy. Like when the sun sets beautifully over the corn crops down the road, and I can almost hear the earth as it shouts for joy to Creator God. Or when I see His hand working in my children’s lives as they share Jesus with a friend.

Other times, though, it’s more difficult, this praising thing. When my kids are sick or a friend hurts my feelings. When my computer crashes, and I have writing deadlines to meet this week. When the cats next door rip through the screen in my back porch, and I can’t enjoy my morning quiet time that I’ve grown to love.

Even then, God wants my praise. He doesn’t change His gate-entry procedure according to my circumstances because His goodness does not waver like my feelings do.

God is always good. He still deserves my praise.

And He knows that when I worship Him I will remember Who He is. 

Funny, because the converse is also true: when I remember Who He is, I can’t help but worship Him.

True worship is that which is glad in Who God is, despite my feelings about where I am or what’s happening around me.

No matter where I am. No matter what I feel.

I might not be glad about my ripped screen. But the LORD is God. He’s my God.

I might be downright upset about not having a computer for a short time. But I am God’s.  A sheep in His pasture under His care.

And still I can know God’s true presence. Even still, I can enter into His very place of dwelling when I choose to praise Him anyway.