One Word: WORSHIP

WORSHIP is my one word for 2023.  

Worship is not something I am convinced I fully understand, nor what God intended it to be.  My prayer is that by the end of 2023 I will know what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth. 

Just as our understanding of God is limited, so is our concept of worship.  For many of us, worship involves preference, such as music style (contemporary, traditional, blended), body posture (hands raised or not), and location where we worship (in church, at the beach, in the quiet solitude of our hearts).  For some worship must include music and for others, worship doesn't involve music at all.  

Is there a wrong way or right way to worship?  Who is worship really for -- God or us?  If we are honest, we have made worship about us and our preferences, and we have allowed worship to divide our churches and our hearts.

Matt Redman so beautifully captures the essence of this struggle in his song, "The Heart of Worship." 

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come

Longin' just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm comin' back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus

We learn to worship in various ways and through the experiences along our journey.  We go through seasons where worship is everything we think it should be, only to find ourselves in seasons where worship seems lacking.  For me, that has certainly been the case as I have moved from a particular worship environment to its polar opposite in terms of musical style and content.  I still struggle with this at times until I remember that it's not about me.  Worship is about Jesus.

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."-- John 4:24, NIV

Lord, as I embark on this journey of discovery in 2023, I pray for a deeper understanding of worship and a more intimate relationship with the object of my worship -- Jesus.  Thank you for Your Word, the Spirit of Truth, and the privilege to even speak the name of Jesus.  How I love you, Lord.  Let my life praise You.

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