Have you ever wondered what it means to worship God? Maybe you've had some confusion as to what that would look like where you are in life. But what if I told you it doesn't have to be confusing? In fact, it is engrained in the very fiber of your being.
We make such a big deal out of worshipping God, and rightfully so, as it is indeed something we ought to strive to do. What I am getting at is oftentimes we overcomplicate it. We lean on our own understanding in hopes that what we conclude as 'worshipping God' is pleasing in His sight. We dwell on by what means we are to worship God, and what it might look like. Sometimes, I think it is best to simply look around and learn from what God has placed in front of us.
Right now, I'm at the beach, and there are a lot of seagulls and other sea birds around me. When I look at these cute creatures, I can't help but think "you know who your Maker is. You're doing exactly what you've been made by Him to do." It's a beautiful thing to think about, because by simply being itself, it worships the Creator. A tree, though inanimate in human regard, is cared for by the Father. And fish, though not mankind, are fed by His hand. He cares for these things. He watches over these things. If He clothes the lilies, how much more will He clothe you (Luke 12:27-28)?
The Lord is faithful and good. We are the ones made in His image on day 6 of creation, not these other things. As beautiful as they are, and as mighty and spectacular as they may appear, we—man and woman—were created in God's image. God created male and female to be the ones to reflect and carry His image on earth. And yet, we are the ones that failed at it the first time around! As I listen to the seagulls right now at this beach I'm at, they go on with their many noises and sounds. It reminds me and makes me think that they're calling out to their Maker in the way He intended them to, and I can imagine what God was feeling in Genesis 1. On the fifth day, when He created the sea creatures and the winged creatures, He saw that it was good. The birds and their noises remind me that what they are doing is good in the sight of God. And why is it good? Because it is worshipping Him, it's them fulfilling the role that He has made for them to fulfill. From their vocals to their eating to their many whereabouts when migrating.
All of this is made by God, for God. Imagine such a gracious Father. He wanted worship and created the objects thereof, which are you and me. So, how does all of my animal talk relate to humans? To make my point in the above paragraphs clear, what God has created you to do, simply do it. We get so caught up in finding our 'special calling' in this life, telling ourselves that we are looking so diligently for this calling so we can 'finally and completely please God'. What is truly pleasing to God is our faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6), so now we worship Him by being who He made us to be. If you are unsure who He created you to be, look at the basic functions of a human being. Human beings are made with the ability to walk, talk, eat, exercise, socialize, love, judge rightly according to God's word. These are the things that we can do to be pleasing to God and worship Him.
I think our obsession with finding what God has 'called us to do' often stems from pride rather than humility. If we were humble, we would accept what God has made us to be and walk in that faithfully, rejoicing, with contentment in God and what He is giving you rather than getting lowly—and depressed even—because you have yet to 'find your calling'. Paul talks about each man remaining in the condition/situation the Lord has called him in (1 Cor. 7:20-24). I believe that is so powerful and very important. Why would we leave what God has called us into? And why would we try to add to His doing? What God has done in our lives, making us bearers of His image, is enough already. I would say that before we aim to walk in any specific calling or ministry, we need to walk in being image bearers faithfully and righteously. That is what's important.
One could do many mighty works and the Lord still may say 'I knew you not, depart from Me' (Matthew 7:23). A baby worships God by being a baby, a man worships God by being a man of God, and a woman worships God by being a woman of God. A wife worships God by being a faithful wife to her husband, loving him and their children, respecting her husband, having self control and purity, being a keeper at home, and submitting to her own husband as unto the Lord (Titus 2:4-5; Eph 5:22-23; Eph. 5:33). A husband is worshipping God when he loves his wife, lives with her in an understanding way, provides for her and is not harsh toward her (Col. 3:19; Eph. 5:25; 1 Tim. 5:8; 1 Peter 3:7). A child worships God when they obey and honor their parents (Eph. 6:1-2; Col. 3:20; Ex. 20:12). Parents worship God by not provoking their children to anger and by raising them up in the way of the Lord (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21; Pro. 22:6).
As you see, the Lord made it quite simple for us to know how to worship Him. A carpenter, as Jesus's earthly job was, worships God through their carpentry. A builder worships the Lord through his building. A duck worships through its swimming and quacking. The sand even worships the Lord through its obedience to His laws, such as gravity, and its obedience to His boundaries, such as where it is and is not to be. All of these things, without panicking to find its calling, are worshipping the Lord faithfully and perfectly. Faithfully because they never cease to do so, and perfectly because it has not been adulterated with sin. So, how are we, mankind, to serve and worship God faithfully and perfectly? Even if we're faithful, we might not be perfect. Or even if you're perfect in it, you may not always be faithful. So, how can one do this?
We can be faithful in worship by laying our life down each day, remembering who we are not in and of ourselves, but in Christ, as born-again believers in Him. We can worship Him perfectly because we are made perfect through Christ Jesus, our Lord. That is how we can do worship unto God, faithfully and perfectly. Though we may not be fully perfected, we are spiritually perfect in God's sight, we who are born-again, and what a great joy that is! What an amazing truth to glory in. That we, because of another, have been made right with God and are reconciled to our First Love and Creator.
Dear sister, stop anxiously worrying about how you can worship God (Phil. 4:6). Stop worrying about what you can do to be 'more pleasing' to Him. He is pleased with you because He is pleased with Christ (Matthew 3:17). Know also that He does not despise a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 51:17).
The Lord is good. The Lord is faithful. He has given us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
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