Worship even when you are facing troubles and fears
Some of David’s most desperate pleas to God can be found in Psalms. One thing you will notice is the more dismal things seemed, the more certain you can be that at the end of the Psalm there will be praise of God.
Look at Psalm 22 as a good example. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” These are the words Jesus quoted on the cross. Verses 1-21 lay out his plea and his fear. Then in verse 22 you see the shift from fear to faith, as he steps out of his fear to worship God with praise.
Psalm 22:23-31 New International Version (NIV)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
When we face dark moments in our lives, and we seek God’s help, we, too, can find comfort if we start to praise and worship our God. As we remember (again the importance of remembering) the amazing hand of God on our lives and the lives of others, we set loose the fear of the moment and being to lift out of the darkness into the light of God. If we keep praising and worshiping God through song, through moments of thankfulness, and though prayer, then God can fill us with the power to overcome.
Worship is an action. God calls us to action. We are not to accept the grace of God and then go about like the world around us, totally putting God in the closet. No, we are new people, if we have genuinely accepted Christ. There should be a notable difference in our lives, and it stems from action. These actions can be simple, like noticing the beauty of the stars on a clear night, and then (action) thanking God for them. Or the actions can be moderate, like filling shoe boxes with items for children around the world (Operation Shoe Box) and dropping them off at a drop off location. Or they can be strong actions, like visiting those in nursing homes, serving food to the homeless, etc.
God calls us to action and it all starts with worship. Faith without works is dead, but works without faith is dead as well. The two MUST be done in tandem. When we step out into action with God as our reason, our guide, and our light, amazing results follow. When we step out on our own, leaving God in the dust, we are left drained and the results of our efforts as less than they could be.
God is at the center of it all, and keeping a steady stream of genuine worship, praise, and thanksgiving, is the best way of all to keep yourself under the power of his Spirit.
God bless you today.
M.
Moriah's Musings 