A Life of Worship

The word "worship" has been one that has surrounded me my entire life. When I was in Sunday School I was told not to worship idols, when I got to middle school I started playing in worship bands, when I got to High School I was challenged with what the term actually meant. However, it was only until recently that I've really started to wrestle with this idea. A few questions have just kinda popped up inside my head. What does it mean to worship God in everything that I do? What does it mean to give thanks in difficult circumstances? What would it look like if I actually practiced this?

Okay, so I don't actually know the answers to these questions, but I'm starting to wrestle and pray over them. I'm confident that God will lead me towards Himself as He's the one that put them on my heart in the first place.

The second question, "What does it mean to give thanks (worship) in difficult circumstances?" is one that has been weighing on my heart all week long. I found out that my Aunt Anne, who has been in remission for the past 9 years, found a lump earlier this week. This woman has been through just about everything. The fear that consumed me when I heard this news was immeasurable; I can't even imagine how she felt. How could this happen when it seemed like we were finally out of the woods? Just when it seemed to no longer be a threat, the cancer returned. Doubts, fears, anxiety, sadness, and darkness flooded my heart. I couldn't even think about it for too long. I did everything I could to distract myself. However, that road always comes to a dead end. So there I was, lying in my bed after a long day full of desperate attempts to keep my mind busy. God confronted me. Revealed himself...Challenged me. 

Suddenly, I remembered James 1.

"Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2, NIV)

I remembered Matthew 11.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV)

I remembered Phillippians 4

"And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phillippians 4:7, NIV)

Thankfully, we got word that the cancer has not spread and a surgery in the near future will hopefully remove the rest of the tumor.

There I was, with the God of the universe by my side, offering me help, blessings, rest, comfort, peace, joy, (the list goes on and on), and I was terrified of a disease. I'm not, by any means, making light of the situation. Instead, I am proposing an idea. The idea that there truly is nothing that we should fear on this earth. The idea that instead of distracting ourselves, bottling things up, doubting goodness, we can lay it all down at the foot of the cross. 

The cross. The only reason I have to boast. The place of forgiveness. The most perfect display of love ever shown. The foundation of life. This list goes on and on, too. What more, though? The grave is empty. HE IS RISEN!

What does this have to do with living a worshipful life? God calls us to give thanks in every situation that we're put into. No matter how difficult. Why does he do this? Does God expect us to "find the silver lining" as Bradley Cooper incessantly searched for in "Silver Linings Playbook"? Does God want us to just find that one tiny little bit of good in every situation and hold onto it as if we know nothing else? Not at all. God calls us to give thanks because Jesus has died, resurrected, and already achieved victory over everything in our lives. I'm not sure if I successfully explained this...In an attempt to sum it up, I am called to worship God, because of the work that Jesus has done on the cross, in spite of any possible situation thrown at me. There is not a single moment in my life that I do not have a reason to worship. This is not something that I've done well in my life. Now that I'm praying over it, I know that God will grant me a worshipful spirit in all that I do, and through all that I face. 

As I'm on the home-stretch of my second semester, freshman year of college, I'm exhausted. In every sense of the word. I want nothing more than to be in Myrtle Beach with my family. To be working with The Philadelphia Project. To get away from the shadow of stress that school work casts over every second of my life. But that's not what I'm called to do. I'm called to worship. To worship the Lord of everything with everything.

Lord, allow me to say hallelujah in everything that comes my way. Change my heart to be geared towards you and your greatness. Amen.

Pray for me.