What is “worship” anyway?

Worship is one of the central aspects of the Christian faith and tradition, and it is a divisive topic continually subject to debate and reexamination. The way worship is executed affects numerous individuals’ decisions on which church to place membership in and completely affects a church gathering’s tone.

As a musician, I have been continually encouraged to participate in and lead worship at various churches and have been led, consequently, to examine some of the questions surrounding “worship” and what exactly it is in the first place.

According to dictionary.com, worship is defined as:

Worship – n.

1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.

2. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage

But these definitions are only small aspects of what it means to truly honor God.

Invisible Reality

Recently, I have felt compelled to study the book of Hebrews more in-depth and have been particularly drawn to Hebrews 11. This passage has been dubbed the “Heroes of the Faith” passage of the New Testament. It’s a great reference to review the major characters in the Old Testament that the Lord used to bring His plans of restoring the Earth to fruition.

As someone who has studied the Bible and attended church my whole life, it is easy to say to myself, “I already know all these stories. Faith is powerful, and God loves it.  Ok, cool.”

But choosing to read the passage with an open mind, I began by reading the ever popular definition of faith,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

 This verse encourages those who have been struggling with an on-going conflict of some sort, reminding them that God is true to His promises. Holding on to faith in the face of conflict and suffering is something the Lord holds in high esteem.

But as I read on, I suddenly became aware of verse 3, which is often glossed over in light of the definition of what faith is and who the ancient “Heroes of the Faith” were. It says this,

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

God created not just you out of nothing; not just all plants and animals out of nothing. God created the universe out of nothing. He spoke, and it came to be.

What does this mean for us? First, if gives us significance. It gives us identity. God called us into being when nothing like humanity existed before. Not only that, but He took the time to create each thing individually.

When we feel like nothing, God says, “You are something.”

But what else does this mean? It means that God has vision beyond our own.

There is an entire invisible realm around us, with beings more powerful than ourselves. Looking at this physical world, it is easy to have a shallow perspective. We let our problems and challenges and surface-level concerns look bigger than God to us.

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that  when life hands you something crappy, “just look to God and have joy!” or some other trite attempt to explain the problem away. This is not what I am saying.

What I am encouraging you to do is to acknowledge what is troubling you, but to also remember how big God is.

It’s not minimizing your problem; it’s actualizing God.

When these moments come, it helps to fix our eyes and hearts on God, trusting that He knows more than we do. His plans may not always line up with ours because He has a higher, eternal perspective.

But we can remain confident that what He creates is good. And He always works for our good.

So in the midst of conflict, we can be reminded that there is One above everything, capable of solving whatever conflict we are fighting through. He creates and sustains all things.

Allow these thoughts on God’s invisible reality to invade your physical reality today. See how this perspective shifts your attitudes and actions.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. – John 1:1-3

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Angela is a writer of songs and articles currently residing in the Denver area. She is a coffee connoisseur and lover of clever song lyrics. She geeks out over Harry Potter, black light mini golf , The Legend of Zelda, and macaroni and cheese.

Blog:http://angiestravelblog7.blogspot.com/

What do you mean, “God is with us?”

One of my favorite Bible stories is the tale of Gideon. He is the ultimate underdog who leads a handful of men to bring down the oppressors of Israel, bringing freedom for his people. But while his story gives us courage in the Lord’s victory, it also brings to light many intriguing aspects of the Lord’s relationship with Gideon.

For those of you not so familiar with this story, Gideon lived in Israel during the times of the judges. Because the Israelites chose to ignore their covenant with God, they were handed over to be oppressed by the Midianites. In Judges chapter 6, Gideon encounters the angel of the Lord, who calls Gideon out to raise up and lead the Israelites out of Midianite control.

But what I find the most intriguing is Gideon’s first response to the angel. He straight-up questions what the angel says. He wants to know why his people have suffered such terrible oppression if the Lord is, in fact, “with” them, as the messenger claims. He wants to see the miracles he’s heard about in Egypt. He feels like the Lord has abandoned Israel.

Vulnerability and Strength

“There is a vulnerability in strength.”

One of my college professors once stated the above quote, and I had a problem with it. It seemed to  me a contradiction of which I wanted no part. During that season of my life, I refused to admit my weaknesses because I was afraid to confront them. And his wise observation rocked my perception of what strength is.

But as I have grown, I have come to a deeper understanding of what he meant. This particular professor was reflecting on the nerve it takes to stand up in front of an audience of any size and sing a song for those present. It takes guts to sing loudly and strongly for all to hear, opening the performer up to all kinds of criticism.

Miss Interdependent

Whenever I am asked to share my personal testimony, I find it difficult to narrow down exactly what to emphasize. God called me to live life with Him when I was a toddler and thus everything in my life is inter-connected with my walk with Him.

It is challenging to summarize a lifetime worth of experience within a few paragraphs, but throughout my life God has been a constant companion and close friend. As I learned to draw near to Him through Bible study, going to church, and prayer and worship, I found that He drew near to me as well. That He seeks out two-sided, beneficial relationships. And I have been blessed to have His guidance and companionship for as long as I can remember.

However, there came a time when I began to pull away from God. As a college student, I began to think differently about my approaches to various things, including God, spirituality, and church. Having suffered from negative church and ministry experiences in high school, I began to pull away from church and community to better understand my own identity.

During this season of my life, I began to branch out and make more decisions on my own, without prayerful consideration. While I do not believe I made too many negative choices during this time, I did begin to view myself as a modern “Independent Woman.” Everything we gain in life we get for ourselves. I began to rely more on myself than I relied on God.