Worship is one of the tools Jesus has given me to find joy every day. No matter what happens, I can choose to leave it all behind – even if just for a few minutes – and focus all my attention on His beauty, power and love. When I do this, He always gives me His perspective on things.
Worship is not about getting answers. It’s about putting Jesus on the throne in every area of our lives. Loving Him and lifting Him up for who He is. Releasing every situation into His hands. When we can place Jesus where He should be, we are also placed where we need to be.
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:6
When we are seated with Jesus in heavenly realms, we can see our situation with His perspective and His wisdom.
Choosing to worship
Worship is always a choice. We have so many places we can go to for help. We can go to other people. We can look to our own abilities or resources. Or we can choose to go to God. To be honest, it rarely comes naturally to choose God as a first response. Very often our emotions will tell us to do something else. But the more we practice, the more we will see the reward in making worship our first response.
In Acts 16 we read about Paul and Silas being flogged and thrown into prison in Philippi. Because they were both Roman citizens and they had the right to a trial, they were actually imprisoned unfairly. They probably also had open wounds, and were in terrible pain. The prison was not like they are today, so they might have been cold, wet and hungry as well.
These two men had many reasons to feel sorry for themselves, or be angry and bitter. But in the midst of all this pain, rejection and unfair treatment, they chose to worship God. They chose to put their focus on Jesus and release their circumstances to Him. And God broke through!
Not only did the chains break off and the prison doors fly open. God also used the situation to save the jailor and his family. What would have happened if Paul and Silas had allowed negative feelings to steer them away from worship?
Worship brings back peace
No matter what we go through in life, we can choose to stop and worship at any time. And Jesus will always meet us when we do. Sometimes He gives the breakthrough we need, and sometimes the strength to keep going.
It’s not always easy to worship in difficult or painful circumstances. I know that very well. And it takes practice to shut everything else out. But when I can truly tune out the world, and close the door to every other thought, Jesus always shows up.
The amazing thing about choosing to worship God and seeing life through His eyes, is that no matter how He helps us, it always brings back peace. And once the peace is restored we can rejoice again. Rejoice over what He did in the past. Rejoice that He is on the throne. Rejoice in the promise of breakthrough.
