Holy Habits #1: Worship
I know what you're thinking. At least, I think I do. You see the title of this post and think, "How is worship a habit? Isn't that what we do Sundays?"
It is true, the main reason we gather together on a Sunday is to worship together as a community, but I would be remiss as a worship pastor to let you think that worship is confined to our Sunday gatherings. Worship goes far beyond the scope of Sundays and is the first Holy Habit in our series for a reason. Worship is the foundational discipline that ought to permeate the life of a Christian. It is the lifeblood of the church and all other holy habits are in some form or fashion a manifestation of worship.
So what do I mean by the holy habit of worship? Let me define it simply.
Worship is the reverent response to the presence of God.
When Isaac travels to the land of ancestors to find a wife and sees the Lord's providence in making the first interaction be with Rebecca, a beautiful woman from his father's family, he stops and worships the Lord (Genesis 24:48). When the book of the law is found during the reign of Josiah, Josiah hears the book, tears his clothes in repentance, and responds with worship (2 Chronicles 34). When Thomas is confronted with the risen Jesus in the upper room, after his doubt is destroyed by the scars on Jesus' hands and the hole in his side, he exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).Each of these instances and countless others throughout the Bible show the holy habit of worship.
Worship is first and foremost the discipline to see God's glory interacting with the world and responding to it with praise.
The holy habit of worship is not only hearing the music and reading the words on a Sunday morning and singing out of response to their beauty and truth. It is seeing the sunrise and sunset and praising God for his consistent majesty, it is recognizing that the raise you just got, or the healing from sickness, or the restored relationships you've experienced are the result of our glorious God condescending into our world and showing favor. It is the response of faith when God says no to you, or allows you to endure persecution and heartache, because you know that God is perfectly good despite man's flawed perspective of Him.
This week, I want us to take a closer look at the attitude we have towards God. Do we only think about what he is doing in our lives while at church? Do we only praise him when something good happens to us? The more ingrained the holy habit of worship becomes, the more frequently we will see God's presence in our lives.So here are a few things you can do this week to help grow the holy habit of worship in your daily life:
Stop before each meal to not only pray, but to list three ways you saw God affect your day.
Look at nature, even if it's the dying lawn in your backyard, and praise God for its uniqueness.
With your family or your roommates, come up with one characteristic of God for the week (ie. holiness, love, justice, mercy, etc.) and make a note of where you see evidence of it during the week. Maybe set aside a consistent time to talk about how everyone witnessed that particular attribute, and then praise God for it in a way you feel is appropriate.
When something goes wrong, and it will, catch yourself before blaming God and say, "I trust you even though I don't understand this."
Before asking God for things in prayer, praise him for his presence, his goodness, and his grace.
What are some other ways you can build the holy habit of worship into your daily lives?