“…When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” Exodus 4:31 (NLT)
The Israelites worshiped God in their misery because He was concerned about them. Job worshiped God when his children, his livestock and his assets were wiped out in a single afternoon. David worshiped God when his son died. Through misery, loss and death, God calls us to worship Him with the same vigor that we do in times of plenty.
The Israelites were God’s chosen people, even during this time of misery and arguably became one of the greatest nation’s on earth. Job was considered one of the most righteous men on earth and God restored him numerous times over because he was steadfast in the face of what most of us would call unjust suffering. David was called “a man after God’s own heart” despite his sin with Bathsheba and the devious steps he took that caused her husband, Uriah to be killed (who arguably was a good man and great leader by what is written of his actions in the Bible.).
So the question becomes, how, why and when do we worship? I think worship has been defined in recent decades as an event that makes us feel better, releasing dopamine from our brain to create a euphoric feeling for some period of time. And this is a key and needed part of worship.
Worship as a noun is described as “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. “the worship of God” As a verb worship is “show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites.”
Over the past few years, the Holy Spirit has awakened me more times than I can count at 2:00 am and directed me to go into our living room and listen, learn and trust. The overriding message in the hundreds of early morning lessons has been; regardless of circumstance, worship God the Father. Our Father in Heaven is our Dad of eternity whose desire for our best is born out through the worship that we give to him.
Think of it this way, as we eat vegetables, fruits and meat and couple with healthy living, our bodies thrive. Very much the same as we seek the face of God through Bible study, through prayer, through relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ (the Church), through belonging and involvement with a local church, through WORSHIP, we thrive because our spirit, our heart and our mind and in harmony with the One who created us. We thrive.
Regardless of circumstance, worship Him. If you are in a season of drought, spiritual, relational, financial, health, any…worship Him. If Dad in Heaven has taught me nothing else, He has taught me that He loves me most in times where I feel the greatest need, because I allow Him closest to me when I am most vulnerable. Worship Him in everything you do today and make this your life habit. He desires more than anything else to love you, to bless you, to walk closely with you and to see you experience the marvelous plans that he has for your life.