If you’re looking for ways to improve or shake up your worship routine, here five things you might want to consider.
Preparation
Two key elements of genuine worship are a mind cleared of distractions and a heart attuned to God. Both require some advance work.
First, before you enter God’s presence, ask Him to help you remove thoughts of your workload, your family issues, your to-do list, your petty differences and anything else that might take your attention away from worship.
Second, spend a few minutes reading key Bible passages. The book of Psalms would be an obvious first choice. You might also look for accounts of God’s work in the lives of His people. That way you can enter His presence with a fresh appreciation for who He is.
Time
This ingredient boils down to three questions:
1. How much time do we spend worshiping God in a given week? (Hint: This does not include the time we spend praying, the time we spend reading the Bible or the time we spend in church, apart from the worship elements.)
2. Is it enough? (Hint: It’s not.)
3. How can we make room in our busy schedule for more worship? (Hint: Worship can take place anywhere, for any length of time. The only requirements are a mind focused solely on God and a heart ready to give Him glory.)
Like-Minded People
It’s possible to worship God in the privacy of our own home, as part of our daily prayer/Bible study/quiet time routine.
Each of us can lift a solo voice in praise and adoration. Even by ourselves we can experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from entering God’s presence with a sense of awe, overwhelmed by His perfections and deeds.
But in order to fully appreciate the power of worship and understand its potential, we need to surround ourselves with others who share our sense of excitement, purpose and joy.
Scripture—Especially the Psalms
God Himself referred to David as “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). No one else in the Bible is given such a title. Perhaps it’s because his heart was so closely aligned with God’s that David was able to compose some of the most extraordinary words of worship ever conceived.
Thousands of years after they were written, David’s words still resonate. Read Psalm 63 or Psalm 103 or Psalm 145 to get a sense of what it means to place worship as the highest priority in your life. Read the psalmist’s words aloud in your own voice to add intensity, depth and variety to your own worship.
Of course, David’s not the only game in town when it comes to worship in the Bible. Other passages that can impact your approach to worship include 1 Chronicles 16:23-31 and Revelation 4:8-11.
Service
Genuine worship involves far more than just our voices; it also involves our eyes and ears, our hands and feet, our mind and heart.
We worship God with the things we choose to notice and the things we choose to involve ourselves with. We worship him with the way we spend our valuable time. We worship him with the service choices we make every day.
Jesus led by example in this area. He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). According to John 13, on the evening of His arrest, Jesus served His disciples by washing their feet. He understood that serving others ultimately brings glory to God. And bringing glory to God is what worship is all about.
If you want to add new dimensions to your worship, look for new opportunities to serve others.
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