Made for Worship
We all worship something. We all behold people, things, or even events that we revere more than others. In this life we will discover that what we worship has a great deal of influence on us. What we hold dear can shape who we will become.
Whether you worship money, work, pleasures, other people, or God, you will become like the one you worship. In Psalm 115:8, it says that those who make idols are like them, along with everyone who trusts in them. Whatever or whoever we worship leads us to develop a set of values. It affects how we choose our priorities. Now’s the right time to think: Who or what holds first place in my life?
Choosing Who to Worship
If you have answered the question, you must have already decided about your values and how you should live. The direction of your day, the stance of your soul, the one you seek, and who you submit to—the guiding force of your life depends on who you choose to worship. Your worship defines your purpose. It will also determine what flows in your life. When you dedicate your spirit to pursuing riches—your life will also be like it—fleeting and replaceable. But when you diligently seek God, you will reap the rewards of your faith (see Hebrews 11:6).
In the Old Testament, Joshua rallied the Israelites to choose for themselves who they will serve. It says in Joshua 24:14-15:
“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Worship is a mindful decision. It dictates the direction of our lives. And while not everyone will understand this, our faith will confirm that this is the way we should go. Blaise Pascal says, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” When we give our lives to the King of kings, our lives will be filled by His Presence. This is where true peace and freedom can be found.
The more we worship God, the more we experience His presence. When His hand is in our lives, the more we will begin to rule and reign in all the situations in life. We’ll see this even in the things that seem to be working against you and stealing your peace. Man, made in God’s image, is called to have dominion over the earth (see Genesis 1:26-28). As we dwell in the Lord’s presence, His wisdom and favor will flow in our lives. Having this supernatural blessing will cause us to rule and reign over all the areas in our lives—even those we feel are overwhelming us. Even to this day, God gives ways and means for His children to have dominion on this earth.
Answering the Divine Call
But did you know? God wants to work with you and in you! The disciples in the New Testament experienced God working with them accompanied by signs (Mark 16:20). When we decide to live for God, we receive a calling. The Lord has a mission for each of His worshippers. Sometimes, this calling will overwhelm us. There are times when He will call us to preach or go to an unfamiliar territory. For us who claim to be believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are also called to be a priest and king in our generation. On top of being worshippers, we are also called to minister to a hurting world. We can do this by praying, counseling, or providing for others’ needs, with the ultimate goal of bringing them to the knowledge of our Lord.
But even if we profess to be worshippers, there are times in our lives where we will still need God’s hand to move. We must remember that our wholehearted obedience and devotion to the Lord is our pathway to deliverance. When we wait on Him in surrender, He will show us great and mighty things. He will be the One to go before us, leading us to victory.
Whether we’re in the mountaintop, in the valley, or even in plateau-like seasons of our lives, we must always respond in worship. Our “yes” to God should be accompanied by confidence in Him because He is with us. In Psalm 145:18-19, it says:
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
No matter what happens to us, we have the Lord on our side. We have the guarantee of His salvation. When we hear His call, let us always be ready to answer.
