Worship is a Verb

I have been in a little bit of a dry season these past couple weeks. Not over anything in particular but just because I havent been choosing to spend time with the Lord like I should. I desire for my cup to be overflowing but have been convicted in my quite time that the Lord cant overflow my cup if I dont hand my cup over for Him to fill. In order for the Lord to bless you you have to give Him the opportunity to reveal himself. I have been lacking in that lately. Pray for me. :)

So sometimes, when I am feeling like I am in the same old rut I try to mix it up. I pulled out the book Ashley and I have been doing together and God just rocked me. The whole book is about worship but this chapter in particular was guiding you into realizing how to be a true worshiper.

Louie Giglio breaks down the most amazing definition of what worship is. "Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God, for who He is and what He has done, expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live."

Ok let me break that down. Worship is a WHOLE-LIFE RESPONSE to God's greatness and glory. Because of God's greatness and perfection we respond by worshiping Him. Or at least we should. I know in my life I think in my head all day long how good God is or when I hear of the things He has done I think Wow God is so awesome. But thats not worship. Worship is something enter into with all your might. I need to truly worship Him for the things He is doing. Because He deserves a response from me. BIG TIME!

Can you imagine if you did things for your friends, husband, parents, etc and never got a response. They just thought in their head, "Oh that is cool" or "Wow that was nice" but never said or did anything. That is basically what we do to God when we dont respond by worshiping Him for all the great things He does.

Worship is a verb. Its a doing word. We need to learn to worship like the Psalmists. Its one of the longest books in the bible basically dealing just with worship. They say: Sing to the Lord. Shout to God. Dance before the Lord. Play the harp. Come before Him with joyful songs. Clap your hands. Bow before His throne. Lift up your hands. Tell of His goodness. Still your heart. Cast down your idols. Run to him. Seek His face. Tell the nations.

Because God knows our hearts and realizes how He has made us, He knows that we need many outlets of worship. There isnt just ONE way we can worship. There are MILLIONS! Just respond. Just give God the time of day. There are so many ways in which I am sure we all worship differently, but the key is to take the time to do it. Even if it is just being still before Him and giving yourself to Him. That is worship. You know I dont always feel like I can to come to the throne with anything of worth, but giving myself is worship.

The book says, " When God is not greatly praised, it's only because we dont think that He is that great of a God. When our worship is small, it's because our concept of God is small. When we offer little -bitty sacrifices it is because we have somehow reduced Him in our hearts to a little-bitty God. Our vision has become clouded, our hearts distracted."

SO true. And when our hearts and minds start feeling like God is small then our worries get big and we get depressed or scared or anxious. But its all lies. We serve a God that is still running the show that is holding the universe in His hands, and running after our hearts, inviting us to call Him friend and Lover. He is SO big and SO good and deserves us to get up and worship Him.

Last week I was at Jazzercise and I witnessed the best thing EVER! There is a little, sweet Christian lady that stands in the back that only has one arm. I dont know if she was born that way but it does not inhibit her from ANYTHING. She dances bigger, runs harder, grows stronger with the Lord through this. I know this through one conversation with her. We when we were in class the other day, we were going along and I hear a tambourine. And guess who it was? The lady in the back. (I dont remember her name) She would pull out that tambourine when a good part of the song came and shake it with her one arm as good as she could! And then when it got too much put it in her shirt and then wait til the end of the song to get it out again and do a great big ending!! (Megs this would SO be you!) It was too funny. I was dying laughing but I thought about it and I know that she is a believer from our one short conversation and she just is filled with the joy of the Lord. She doesnt care what people say or think. She is going to play that tambourine even in Jazzercise. I LOVE THAT! I wanna be like her.

Worship is a response to God in our lives. But it starts with His love and greatness. He reveals; we respond. He calls; we answer. He loves; we love in return. He leads; we follow. We dont initiate worship He does, and we need to do our part.

I encourage you girls to make a list of the ways in which you do worship and could worship and try those things when you feel like you need to switch it up or you are feeling a little dry or lost. There are so many ways. Even if it is just to SPEAK His name. Its all worship!

I have the reference to Psalm 100 printed on the bottom of our bags for the boutique. It goes in line so well of how we should be worshiping.

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."


Love you girls so much! May we worship with ALL our might today!
xoxo- N