Worship is More Than a Song

Worship is more than a song; it is the posture of our hearts. 

I had an ah ha moment last week during a writing workshop. The discussion was on who is our reader. It dawned on me that I am really putting down in words lessons that I, myself, need to be taught or reminded of. So know, that as you are reading this and any of my other posts or blogs, I am looking in the mirror and preaching to myself and just hope someone else along the way can use some of the same encouragement I need. 

I often sing and pray with my eyes closed. I do this to block out the distractions (And I am so easily distracted! I am sitting in my yard right now experiencing the worship composition of the birds and trying to identify them instead of doing my writing assignments). around me and to focus on the words of the song and meditation in my heart. I also need to be able to focus my worship on my Audience of One.

In my college days, there were only two students in the entire body of several thousand who raised their hands in worship. We prayed for them. It was not something I, for one, (insert self-righteous attitude here) was comfortable with. Honestly, I am still not “comfortable” with it, but in my thinking this occurred to me: 

What do our little children do when they want to be close to us? They raise their hands and say, “Can I hold you?” They want to cling to us and holding their hands out to us shows us that. Doesn’t God want us to hold our hands up to him and tell him how much we want him to hold us? Doesn’t He want us to cling to Him? 

I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. Psalm 63:8 NLT

And when we need comfort or a hug, don’t we reach out to a friend, spouse or loved one?

I call to you, Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you. Psalm 88:9  NIV

What do we do when we have a question? Raise a hand… 

“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary” (Psalm 28:1 NIV).

What do we do when our sports teams score? We hold up our hands in celebration. Isn’t salvation and the defeat of The Enemy worth celebrating? 

Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies… Micah 5:9 NIV

When we want to be picked for something, we raise our hands and say oo oo pick me. Don’t we want to be among the chosen?

What do criminals do when they surrender? They hold their hands up. Doesn’t God want us to worship through surrender? 

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2 NIV

Our “song” is only evidence of what is in our hearts. It is a vehicle transporting our hearts to the throne of God. – What we think all day, what we do all day, how we act all day should be out of obedience and worship to God. Our song is like outwardly saying “I Love You.”  

But it is the posture of our hearts that is the true measure of our worship.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight oh God my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen

I hope to see you back her next week for another meditation on worship. Feel free to poke around on my website for other messages to refresh your soul. If you would like to receive this directly to your inbox, fill out the “follow me” box that pops up in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. See you soon.

 

My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot…/dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3…
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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