Sunday, March 29, 2009

In This 2009, We Will...(2)

For the previous post in the “In This 2009 We Will…” series, please visit HERE.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
Your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?

[Psalms 8:3-4; MSG]

I stroll down memory lane about 16 years ago. It was about 2 a.m. As the wind blew fiercely through the window and I felt little drops of water on my skin, I jumped out of my bed and headed for the room opposite. I walked into the room and a smile lit my face as I realized that the wind and rain had not affected this room. Everything was intact. I shut the windows incase the wind decided to change direction while I was asleep. Then I took a last look at the different families of paper dolls. Everyone was where we kids had left them before going to bed. Though I was with them only 2 hours ago, I still wanted to be with them. I had to resist because I was so sleepy.

What were they that I was concerned and mindful of them?
Nothing but my creation, which I had painstakingly taken time and resources to bring into existence.


If only they knew how much I loved them and did not want any harm to befall them. If only they were human and had life, I would have expected little from them – that they would tell me thank you for losing my sleep because of them, and to reciprocate this love I had for them. If only they knew I was concerned about them. All I wanted from them were words and acts of appreciation.

And when the elders of Israel heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped [Exodus 4:31b].

In this 2009, We Will Worship The Lord.


What is Worship [1]?
Worship in this context is homage rendered to God which is sinful (idolatry) if rendered to any created being; It is to honor God with extravagant love and extreme submission, as a lover; to adore God; to venerate (respect and hold in high regard).

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit (with their heart) and in truth (reality). The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way [John 4:23].

Worship involves not only praising and singing to God, but also a lifestyle of talking, listening and obeying His directives.

Why Worship God? Reasons and Benefits
1. God, our creator certainly deserves our worship. He is worthy of it, and due the honor.
2. When we worship Him, we adore His attributes. We marvel at His creation. We claim our commitment to Him. We admit that He is in control of our lives; and hence we profess our trust in Him.
3. Worship builds our relationship and intimacy with God. It is one of the ways to draw nearer to God.
4. When we worship, we get direction and inspiration, even for matters we thought had no solution.
5. Worship grows our faith and dependence on God. Hence it helps to replace our doubts with confidence and chase fear away.
6. Worship reminds us what our priorities should be, and helps us prioritize.
7. Worship helps to correct our attitudes helping us become more like Christ.
8. Worship leaves us renewed, energized, motivated and filled with peace and joy.

How to overcome distractions in Worship
There are some factors which hinder a smooth worship session. Some include sin, guilt, unforgiveness, laziness, worry over what we are going through, and not knowing the worth of worship. To overcome distractions in worship (especially for private not congregational worship), do the following before you begin:

1. Go to a place where you will not be distracted. Timing is also important here.
2. Play some nice worship music that could get you in the mood.
3. If you feel guilty of something, confess it to God and ask for forgiveness.
4. If you are going through a challenging situation, let Him know you cannot handle it on your own and you have cast the care upon Him.
5. Spend some time thinking about the things God has done for you or to those around you. Think about things you should be grateful to God for.


References
1. Definition of Worship
2. Praise the Lord – Benefits of Worship
3. For details on what worship is, how to worship God and the benefits, please visit here.

Have a blessed week ahead.

25 comments:

Dante said...

firrrrrrrrrsssssssssst!!!!!

Dante said...

Thank you so much Rita, for this post...I haave been burdened by the fact that I have not paid my tithe for quite sometime and I have sinned so much. I felt so unworthy and could not bring myself to praise God..

I am going to take those 5 steps and retrace my steps back to God.

Thank you so much!

JustDB said...

Hmmm... the Lord must be whispering in the ears of all of you o... You all manage to say what I need to here when I need to. Thanks for sharing...

Omo Oba said...

Rita, thanks for this post. I loved paper dolls too, great analogy there.

David C Brown said...

"The Father seeks such" - person with qualities, spirit and truth - as his worshippers". What you say helps us to keep in spiritual fitness to worship.

Blogoratti said...

Insightful. Thanks for sharing. Nice week!

Kémi Penélopê said...

Lovin' your new template and as usual, you alway have something amazing to sharing with people of the B* World...
Have a wonderful week...!!!

Kafo said...

so true
i love the paperdolls analogy it reminds of my childhood and you are soo right we were really into our dolls back then

Buttercup said...

*sighs*

this is part of what i needed to read in my quest to get back on track with God..thanks Rita..

Remi, United Kingdom said...

Hey, hope you're good. I love the new template and layout... :-)

True speak.... :-)

love the analogy too...
have a great week ahead love
Much love

Rita said...

@ Dante: He sure is waiting for you with open arms. You’re welcome.

@ JustDB: You’re welcome, and thank God you find this post useful…

@ Omo Oba: Oh wow! Another lover of paper dolls…I really had fun with them…

@ David C Brown: So true are the words “spiritual fitness” which we need in our walk with God…

@ Blogoratti: You’re welcome, and have a beautiful week ahead.

@ Kémi Penélopê: Thank you, thank you, had to change the template when blogger lost my blogroll, and if you like it then I must say every disappointment is a blessing. Just to let you know you are not alone in the B* World.

@ Kafo: Thank you. You can say that again…we were really into our dolls. Would I say I miss those days?

@ Buttercup: You’re welcome love, hope this post helps.

@ Remi, United Kingdom: Yeah, am good. Thank you (for loving the template and the analogy). Wanted to do one on praise but I realized you have done justice to Praise so when I am ready, I would come over to your blog and take a few (or a lot of ) points :-)

Have a lovely week ahead…

Rebirth said...

you know this last week, all my daily devotionals have been talking about worship and this post is a further confirmation of how i need to devote more time in worship...... thanks dear.... and thanx for d comment u left on my last post

Giagerry said...

my rita my rita my rita...i too like u mehn..just the rite words..like I always say, "we thank God for salvation ooo"...cuz mehn with God things r just good(in his presence there is fulllnessssssss of joy!).

so this 09 it is to worship him and so for the rest of our lives...

btw u changed u look of ur blog...i love it!

Rita said...

@ Funms-the rebirth: You’re welcome…and I mean every word I said in ur post (including the money part) so please go ahead and feel special

@ Gee: You sound so excited…yes oh, with God, things are good. His joy and peace that passes all understanding is something I am not ready to trade…
I had to change the look of the blog and I’m so glad you like it.

LG said...

hmm' new layout........i like

James said...

Worship ushers us into His presence.Need to worship more.Thank you.

O'Dee said...

"And when the elders of Israel heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped"

Its always refreshing knowing the Lord is concerned about me.

Anonymous said...

Rita,

God bless you real good for this posting. I am current with your posting as I thought it was worthy to subscribe.

taKia and God bless

Writefreak said...

Yes I will worship the Lord- he knows the number of hair on my head!
Halleluyah!

Ps- I like the new look
Have a lovely week Rita!

.. said...

Time should most definitely be spent in praise and worship of the Lord...

aloted said...

hmm...

me na laziness dey worry me..

i need to worship my Father more

~Sirius~ said...

Love your template, but the message even more.

I guess sometimes we let our conscience get the better part of us, hence we feel so unworthy to worship....and yet the desire to do is lurking in the background.

This post definitely speaks to us all in different ways.
Thanks Rita....and have a lovely week too.

Nefertiti said...

Sirius took the words right off my finger tips.

Like I always say, I love ur parallels. They are always on point.

Joy Akut said...

this is so beautiful, the way you talked about the dolls and how much you cared for them...i cant even begin to think how much God loves and cares for me.

those moments we get so close to God and its all beautiful, and then the moment we fall, we're so scared to face him again and theres the thought of 'oh well i've already failed him i might as well continue' and thus we stop to pray, to worship, to praise...
if only we knew, that hes ever ready to pick us up as long as we come to his presence truely sorry.


i love ur new template too....i'm jealous, i want a new one too:)

Rita said...

@LG: Thank you…

@Telekinesys: You’re welcome.

@O'Dee: You are in the spirit…that was the word that made me start respecting God all over again…

@Babajidesalu: Amen and thank you very much…

@Writefreak: Thank you so much.

@Rose: What better way would there be to spend our time? We have an awesome God.

@Aloted: "Laziness, get thee behind Aloted :-)" Pls worship Him more, my sister.

@~Sirius~: Wow, thank you. You brought more light into the way I feel about worship ie “…and yet the desire to do is lurking in the background…”

@Nefertiti: Thank you for your very encouraging (and appreciative) words on my posts. You make me want to write more.

@Fantasy Queen: lol…go get ur own template…
Moments with Him are indeed beautiful. I agree with you and the sad part is when we get so scared to face Him again and we continue walking away from Him…I wish there is a way we can be constantly reminded of His gracious love for us (maybe there is but we overlook it), cos when we walk away from Him, it does us no good…