Worship.

I love worshipping. 

When we were created, we were created to worship. In each of us there is this longing and drive to worship and it can be focused on whatever we direct it to. 

That drive was intended to worship the Creator. 

And it's beautiful when that happens. 

We all know, that's not always the way it goes. Right? We worship many different things during our days. It starts with sleep. Cale recently was so annoyed with me because I had started the habit of hitting my snooze several times...I would have been annoyed with me too. Don't worry folks, I have put that habit to rest! 

I was choosing a little more sleep than spending extra moments in the Word and in the presence of the Lord. 

We worship food.

We worship attention. 

We worship dreams.

We worship ourselves.

We worship our victories.

We worship approval from others.

We worship.

It's what we do.

(this post is already going somewhere I didn't plan but I'm going to roll with it)

Worship is not just singing. This is the most common way people think about worship. I do know that I put my need for sleep before God but I don't often sing to my sleep...

The moment we are desiring first to bring glory to God more than enjoying whatever "filler" is before us, we can worship God in everything we're doing. 

"True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things." -John Piper

For this post though, I'm going to write about worshipping through song. It's one of my favorite ways in life to express my love for God. To praise Him and bring honor to him with only my lips, if my heart is not in it means nothing. 

But when my heart is in the moment, forgetting all distractions and just being free in God's presence, I could literally sing and sing and sing for hours. And I definitely don't sing in tune. Thankfully, God doesn't mind that part...ha.

I have worshipped around people that stand with their arms to their sides and just move their lips. 

I have worshipped around people who dance around. 

I have worshipped with hands raised around me and I have worshipped with tears streaming down my face. I've worshipped with drums pounding or fingers hitting the keys of an organ.

I've worshipped with a choir and a praise team. 

I've worshipped with a hymnal in my hands or reading words from a large white screen. 

I've worshipped around a fire and I've worshipped in my kitchen.

I love worshipping God. 

When I'm singing and not allowing myself to pay attention to what anyone else is doing, and I truly just go before the Lord, I have been told I look as though I'm going to come out of my skin. I can't contain my praise and almost always I'll get teary eyed. This is not just about emotions. I don't want to only be emotionally driven when I'm praising the Lord. I want to worship Him with all of me! 

Last night I went to an Aaron Shust concert. If you don't recognize his name, you may have heard his songs and didn't know they were his songs. 

Very talented guy. 

One thing he talked about and for whatever reason, even though I already knew this, it switched on something in my heart. 

Even though I have always always loved worshipping through music, I think it will forever be different for me now. 

He was talking about how the angels and saints are right now worshipping. They are always singing praises to God. It's always taking place. Even right now as I am typing, multitudes of angels are praising God. Over and over and always.

When we come before God to worship Him, however our outward reveals, we join them. 

Dude. 

This blows my mind when I actually pause and really think about that. 

We join them. 

We can't hear them, but can you just imagine the sound?! 

You know when you're at a concert and the lead singer stops singing into the microphone and you hear everyone singing-yeah. That but thousands of times more powerful.

Singing this morning during our church service was different because I had this thought. 

I was joining them. We were all joining them. 

I don't ever want to hold back because in the moment when I'm coming before the Lord, I'm actually worshipping a list of other things.

I want to join the angels.

This is just such a BEAUTIFUL image in my mind and I just don't understand that this very act of gathering with other believers to worship and join the angels has been fought about between people who love Jesus and want to worship Him. 

That's totally a side note but I've definitely heard one too many arguments regarding worship and I think at that point, we're all just missing the point. 

Lets choose to not hold back. 

Lets choose to sing praises to Him with our whole hearts.

Lets choose to join the angels.

Lets worship God. 

This song was played last night and the words I felt were so much from my heart---

Give it All Away- Aaron Shust

Search my heart, search my mind

Search my soul

Make me clean, make me new

make me whole

All of my plans, all of my dreams

I lay them down before Your feet

All of my time, all that was mine

I now submit to your design

'Cause You are the one and only one

Who dared to give it all away for me

You dared to give it all away for me

You are my strength, You are my God

You are my King

You make me laugh, You make me dance

You make me sing

All of my plans, all of my dreams 

I lay them down before your feet 

All of my time, all that was mine

I now, submit to Your design

'Cause You are the one and only one 

Who dared to give it all away for me 

You dared to give it all away for me

Everything inside, everything outside

I give it all away

You never change but you rearrange

My heart more everyday

All of my plans, all of my dreams 

I lay them down before Your feet

All of my time, all that was mine

I now, submit to your design

All of my plans, all of my dreams

I lay them down before Your feet

All of my time, all that was mine

I now, submit to your design

'Cause You are the one

Who can make my life complete

You are the one 

Who can give light to my feet

You are the one and only one

Who dared to give it all away for me

You dared to give it all away for me

You dared to give it all away

You gave it all away for me

You gave it all away for me

Search my heart, search my mind

Search my soul