Worship While You Wait

I was sitting in the front row, the white ribbon tied around my waist ruffled slightly from the A/C vent over my section. I could see the goosebumps rising on my skin- it was a little cool in this seat. My eyes burned slightly more than usual as I tried to concentrate on what was going on. I dared myself to keep my eyes open as they slowly closed each time the lights dimmed. It had been a long weekend, week, season. I felt tired.

It was Sunday morning, and I was already halfway through my routine. Park in the spot with the faint tire marks from last week when I was running late. Sit in the seat with the pink ink stain from my marker that accidentally glided against the fabric of the chair. Watch the people around me give daring looks to anyone who attempted to sit in their unassigned assigned seats.

It was a simple and straightforward routine I slipped into over the four months I had moved back home.

The overhead lights went down; the stage lights went up, and the congregation followed. The sound of the guitar bounced off of the walls and filtered throughout the sanctuary. I had perfected the harmonies of every song at this point and could even add in a few background vocals if needed. I sang an entire song without giving much thought to what it meant, the words spoken and then disappearing into the air as if they were empty and meaningless.

As I became comfortable in this Sunday routine, I soon became more comfortable in my everyday routines. The songs I listened to and how I filled my time were not helping me grow stronger in my walk with Jesus. I wanted whatever was comfortable in this transition time of moving from college to home, and sometimes what was comfortable wasn’t good.

I hadn’t dyed my hair blue or done anything else close to that matter, though that would be neat, and I didn’t do anything too crazy. But I realized it was mostly my heart that had strayed slightly from the path of wanting to boldly pursue Christ in every area of life to just wanting to be comfortable in certain areas of my life.

I was seeking Jesus, but my entire focus was not on Him, which ultimately pulled my attention to other things.

I sat criss-cross on the floor in a room at my internship, listening to a co-worker explain what she was learning that week. My hands pressed against the grain of the carpet as she spoke with enthusiasm and passion: Worship is not just something we flip a switch to perform on Sunday mornings; rather, it’s the position of our heart that we can prepare for throughout the week. That got me.

My heart was not always in the position to worship.

My routine had become a comfort; my comfort had become complacency; complacency could eventually evolve into a slow fade, which is dangerous.

The way I live my life throughout the week should prepare my heart for everyday worship, not a one-time performance on Sunday.

Preparing my heart does not look like scrolling through Instagram in my spare time, listening to country music a liiiiiitle too much, or watching TV shows to decompress after a long day. That is all part of a routine that is not full of bad things, but it also isn’t full of fulfilling things.

I could have used the time spent on Instagram to hang out with a friend. I could have used the time listening to Morgan Wallen to listen to a helpful podcast or watch an encouraging YouTube video. I could have used the time spent “decompressing” with a funny show to spend longer in my quiet time.

……

We are created to worship, but it isn’t always easy to put ourselves in a position of worship. When we fill our minds with things of this world, we’re going to keep going back empty, wanting more. When we fill our hearts with things of eternity, we leave fulfilled, not empty, because we know that He is the only One who can fill us.

I think this is the beauty of worship. It’s not a script we have to recite or an act we mimic. Instead, it’s the freedom to surrender our hearts to the One who created it.

Meaningful worship and purposeful prayer is an opportunity, not an obligation. It is an opportunity we take for granted far too often to build a more intimate relationship with our Maker and Creator.

How is what I am doing now preparing my heart for worship on Sunday? How is what I am doing now preparing my heart for worship every day of the week?

– Am I filling myself with things that are honoring God to strengthen my relationship with Him or things that will hinder my relationship with Him?

– Am I spending my time with things that fill my tank or empty my tank?

– Am I filling my mind with things that may walk me into temptation or keep me out of temptation?

**Am I doing what will ultimately strengthen my relationship with God and lead others to Christ?

Let’s not let the distractions in our routines keep us distracted from having a relationship with the One we are created to worship.

When we prepare our hearts outside of our routines, we grow into a place of worship that constantly recognizes Christ as our Savior and Redeemer- not the Netflix movie, not the music artist, not this friend or that person, but CHRIST.

We are ready for Sunday worship because we aren’t just warming up our singing voices one day of the week, but exercising them throughout the week! Our singing should be an outpour of the praise we have to give every day. This is how we ultimately reflect Christ and show others His love!

Everything we do should reflect purity and grow our relationship with Jesus so that we can reflect Him, not grow distant from Him.

So this past Sunday, I sat in a different seat, sang a different song and leaned into the words of life God needed to speak into me. I chose to go through the rest of this week, filling myself with truth and with things that are pure and honoring and pleasing to Him.

And as I am doing that, I feel His peace; I have His discernment; I know His power is working through me because I am no longer following my routine but HIS opportunities.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we made lead peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2: 1-4