As I stand in the church sanctuary and sing along to the music, I’m suddenly struck by my wandering thoughts. Setting my mind back upon the One I’m worshipping, I’m humbled by my weaknesses and reminded of His strength. I truly need Him every hour, how I need Him every hour.
I can be so fickle as a mom: One moment I love being with my kids all day, the next I’m frustrated because they can’t get a concept or their complaints outweigh their joyful obedience. My quiet time before they arose from bed is now a distant memory as I find myself responding with familiar sinful patterns. Turning on a worshipful CD, I’m reminded of my utter necessity upon the Lord.
If the day is jam-packed, if the waiting room is chaotic, if the traffic is maddening, it can be so easy to get caught up in the ‘here and now’ and the last thing on my mind is bowing in worship before the Lord. But then that song comes on the radio, that one that proclaims the name of Jesus, and it transports me into a moment of worship right then and there. Comparatively, things here on earth grow strangely dim.
Reading through the Bible chronologically this year has reminded me of the situations David was in while writing many of the Psalms. Being chased by an insanely jealous king and his armies is a little more significant than my homeschooling frustrations or traffic headaches. And yet, David worshipped.
“Yet David worshipped.”
In the midst of great troubles, David blessed the Lord at all times and praise continually was in his mouth. He spoke truth about God, reminding himself of the One he followed, of the promises that He would keep.
What a challenge to us–to worship God always and everywhere. To set our eyes upon the Lord, the One who delivers us out of our afflictions, the One who is our helper and deliverer.
When will He deliver us? Will He then spare us from further difficulties? These answers I cannot give you. David was on the run from Saul for years. At this point in my life, I’ve not experienced years of suffering; I’ve only had short-lived seasons. But, what if it is longer? How will I respond? How will you respond?
“Most men hope to go to heaven when they die, but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy heaven if they got there.”
This quote reminds me of the importance of worshipping God here and now…and enjoying Him. If I don’t believe He is my joy and my strength presently, I need to consider what Heaven will be like. May this perspective on eternity affect my life in the temporal.
When life is spinning around us, when despair looms heavy, when I’m focused by all the shiny distractions, may my worship of the Lord return me to what is important in light of eternity. In the unknown, in the mundane, in all times, may we become skilled in our practice of praising God continually.
Love, Wendy
