The stones will cry out.

Called to a life of Worship.

God calls us to be high priests, to live a life of worship to Him, but how do we do this. Ephesians tells us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs among ourselves (the church), and make music unto the Lord in our hearts, and to give thanks for everything in Jesus’ name (Ephesians 5:19-20)

When we break the scripture down we see three main themes represented here:

1. We should gather to rehearse stories from scripture and our own experience with God.
2. We should celebrate in our hearts the goodness of God
3. And we should have a heart of gratitude.

Rehearsing our stories.

“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Eph 5:19). When we gather with our local church to worship and hear a sermon we are retelling, or rehearsing, stories of those that came before us and what God has done. We are also singing of our own personal struggles and victories in the Lord.

It is a constant reminder that God is working, He is present in our everyday lives. It is a time to tell others what God is doing and that pleases and worships God. The Psalms are songs that worship God, they reflect the struggles and joys of the authors and their responses to God in their lives.

Celebrating God’s goodness.

Throughout the Old Testament the Israelites are always having feasts or setting up alters to remember the goodness of God. To me the best example of this is Passover (Exodus 12:17). It was a feast set up to celebrate God bringing them out of Egypt.

I think in a lot of church communities we have lost this. Sure we “celebrate” Christmas or Easter, but we don’t do much in the way of celebrating our personal victories in the Lord. I have met a few people who remember and celebrate the day they were saved and/or baptized. I love this idea. They are celebrating God in their lives, and this is what it means to live a life of worship.

God wants us to rejoice in all things (1thessalonias 5:16). We often think of celebrating through the pain, and that is important too, but we have forgotten to celebrate the awesome power of God in our everyday Christian walk.

I have decided that I am going to start celebrating God’s awesome power in my life more in 2024 and I encourage you, my readers, to join me.  Make a list of things God has done and the date (or guess if you are like me and can’t remember dates to save your life.) Then create a way to celebrate it. It could be simple like a meditation of scripture and a celebratory cupcake. Just do something that will glorify God and will focus on what He has done. Don’t forget to share with others and include others in what God has done. So, they too can worship God for his goodness to you and them.

Grateful Hearts.

Be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) God calls us to be thankful for all things. A grateful heart led to worship (Luke 19:37-40). In the story told in Luke 19 we see Jesus’ followers following behind him singing praises. The Pharisees rebuked them but Jesus told the Pharisees that if they didn’t cry out in worship the rocks would. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that when we see God’s power and majesty, we cannot help but cry out because His goodness is so great, but also because it is wired in all creation to praise her creator.

As we thank our King and God for all that He does, we become aware of His goodness. When we are aware of His goodness we won’t be able to hold back our worship and that is what a life of worship is all about, worshiping our creator, savior, and king in everything.

I encourage you today to start keeping track of all the things God has done for you. Grab a journal and write an account of what God has done. Share your stories with those around you, encouraging others to see God’s power and blessings in their lives as well.

Conclusion

Our God created us and redeemed us from our sin. He deserves all our praise. He called us to praise in all that we do. Three ways we can praise Him in everything is by retelling our God stories, celebrating God’s victory in our lives, and having a heart of gratitude. When we begin looking and celebrating God in our lives, we cannot help but worship him, if we do not “the stone will cry out.”

Afterthoughts

Below are some questions to ponder throughout your week. Comment below or drop me an email at emilyb@moreofjesuspleas.com about your personal experience with worshiping God in your daily life.

• What is a song or story that you “rehearse” often to remember God’s power in your life or the life of a fellow believer?

• What are personal victories in Christ you can celebrate?

• What are things that inspire gratitude?