A few months ago my friend Joni mentioned a concept that I have been mulling over in my mind ever since.....She said that waiting on God is a form of worshipping.
I'm coming to the point where I think I really get it and do agree with her.
But it takes a while for me to ponder this....and see how it plays out in my life.
So much of life it seems that I spend waiting on God....God doesn't usually ever move according to my timetable. Now granted, sometimes he moves very quickly... surprising me! But so often when I am waiting to see a goal, hope/dream fulfilled, there's a long wait involved. Much longer than I'd ever dream or wish for. And of course this seems to always reflect a lesson in patience. That always seems to be the lesson I think I am learning...patience.
Yet it seems so often that in the waiting, I choose to worry. Worry is my natural default....
I worry, will I ever see God's perfect plans for my life come true?
I worry, wondering if I need to be doing something different than what I'm doing now? And if so, I worry about what that might be?
I worry - that I may be missing out somehow on God's best?
I worry - about the future; concocting various (negative) scenarios in my mind that most likely will never happen anyway.
Yes.... so often in the waiting I chose to worry.
But honestly, deep down, I believe that Worship is the opposite of Worry....
So what if, in the waiting, God is hoping to teach me more about worship?
Worshipping Him - trusting that His plan is best even though it may be so much different than mine?
Worshipping Him - refusing to worry that things won't work out?
Worshipping Him - resting in Him and not stressing to do, do, do - fix, fix, fix?
Worshipping Him....all the while KNOWING that He leads each step, guides me down each path, speaks to me....Yes, He really does speak to me. What a wonderful thing!
When I'm worshipping, I'm listening.
When I'm listening, God will speak.
When I hear his voice and obey, He opens doors.
When He opens the doors, the blessings overflow!
I don't want to spend my time worrying; after all, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27)
I want to be a true worshipper - willing to wait on God, whose ways are always best!
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
Paula,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this! How true it is that waiting is worshiping. According to the dictionary, one definition of wait is "to look forward to something." Waiting on the Lord can sometimes be looking forward to God's response. Worship just isn't us talking to God, but listening and looking forward to His action.
I also found it interesting that to wait also means "to serve" (ie waiter). How often is our service to God called worship. Sometimes we just need to continue serving where God has us while we look forward to what He will do next.
Sharon Claassen
What a wonderful revelation to consider that waiting upon the Lord is truly worship. Learning to wait upon Him has been a process for me, now I am encouraged to realize it is worshipping.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon, for your input.
Gail