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.

Copyright © 2023 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved. www.deedeewike.com

Would We Even Notice?

So I say to my soul,
    “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed.
    For I know my God will break through for me.”
    Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again.
    Yes, he is my saving grace! -- Psalm 42:11, The Passion Translation

With everything that is going on in our world today -- the COVID pandemic, natural disasters, mayhem in Afghanistan, poverty and hunger, human trafficking, escalating crime, political corruption, and social unrest -- many of us are spending much time in prayer and doing what we can financially to help those in need.  Yet our prayers seem ineffective and our money insufficient to provide any meaningful relief. We might even wonder if God hears our prayers.  

Many of us are in constant prayer for God to remove COVID from our midst, to ease the tensions and bring peace to Afghanistan, to restore and rebuild lives and livelihoods that fires and hurricanes have destroyed, and to do away with all the evils in our world.  To what end?  If God were to miraculously and instantaneously remove the scourge of COVID -- something he is totally able to do -- would we even notice?  Would we acknowledge his hand in such a miracle and fall to our knees in worship of the one true God, or would we simply breathe a sigh of relief and go on our way, unchanged and unworthy of his great mercy?   

Lately, I have wondered how God would have us pray in response to all that is happening in our world.  Concerns for family, friends, and our fellow humans across the globe may be overwhelming to us, but they are not to God.  Perhaps prayer alone will never bring about the changes and solutions we so desperately long to see.  But what might God do if we pause our repetitious prayers and simply begin to worship and place our faith in him?  Would he even notice?  Somehow, I think he would.  In fact, I am convinced that worship is the key to touching his heart.  

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20).  He is worthy of our praise, even if we feel unworthy to offer it.  

Copyright © 2021 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved. www.deedeewike.com