How to Worship God in Everyday Life
When pondering on how to worship God in everyday life, many times I miss the essence of what worshipping means. In my heart, I want to be His true worshipper. In reality, I let any number of things define whether I hook into His presence. Distractions, lack of spontaneity and sacredness, and boring worship all detour me from Him.
So if there’s a wrong way to worship God, what’s the right way?
How to Worship God in Everyday Life: Connect with Your Heart
Encountering God in worship is like lighting the pilot light on a propane stove. You can’t access the fire unless you turn on the flame. In this case, the flame is the Holy Spirit.
When worshipping, your heart is the pilot light that connects to God. Here’s what Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 15:6-9 about how important your heart is when worshipping God.
So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”
The heart is your motivator whether you worship God or something else. It’s possible to quote scripture and not connect to God spirit to spirit because your heart is hard and bows to the flesh. When that happens, you love darkness more than light.
John 3:19
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
Your heart is your spiritual center where God works to open your mind, will, and emotions to spiritual things (See Ephesians 1:17-19). You either allow or disallow God to make your heart tender. Spiritual sight is the opposite of a pumping heart, hearing ears, and reasoning. When you see with the eyes of your heart, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truths and His divine nature.
When you listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice, buildings don’t matter and which pew you sit in is irrelevant. If those types of things matter, then worship is superficial. What is of utmost importance is Jesus, your high priest and savior. HE is enough so much so that you want to worship Him often.
How to Worship God in Everyday Life: Freely
Have you ever watched an animal quench their thirst, maybe a horse, deer, or dog? They come joyfully to the stream. That’s how worshippers come to God. They long to be in His presence.
Psalm 42:1-2
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
Verse 2 ends with a question. When are you coming to meet with God? He’s excited with the prospect of His children visiting Him often.
As you come freely, it’s equally important to see yourself as an acceptable worshipper.
Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
A worshipful attitude clears the way for the Holy Spirit to lead you. After Jesus’ sacrifice, there’s no need for worshippers to bring a sacrificial offering as they did in the Old Testament days. Jesus took away your sin so you don’t have to carry it. Once you’re a Christian, you live out your faith daily through your body—evidenced by your actions. Everything you do can be a continuous act of worship when God’s at the center of your spirituality.
How to Worship God In Everyday Life: Eyes, Mouth, Hands and Feet
Throughout Biblical history, people fell on their faces, raised their hands, bowed before Him, or danced. Now, Christians do the same thing.
Nehemiah 8:6 – Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Psalm 149:3 – Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
These natural physical expressions display your love for God and Christ’s reign in your life. A heart connected to God can’t help but overflow in abundance. Tears flow from your eyes, praise comes out your mouth, and your hands and feet engage in worshipful movements that honor God.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Creative Ways to Worship God
Any moment is the time to worship.
Brian Doerksen discovered that truth firsthand when writing, “Come, Now Is the Time to Worship.” He wrote the song during one of his darkest moments. Two of his 6 children had Fragile X Syndrome which causes learning disabilities and cognitive impairment.
As a worship pastor in London, Brian knew how to worship God. As he cried out to God in pain and desperation, God dropped the song into his heart. After he presented the song to his congregation, in no time the song spread to other countries. Because of its success, he and his family were not only financially blessed but able to return to the house where he grew up in Canada.
Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time
To give your heart
Come, just as you are to worship
Come, just as you are
Before your God
ComeOne day every
Tongue will confess
You are God
One day every knee will bow
Still the greatest treasure
Remains for those
Who gladly choose You now
Brian was hungry and thirsty in the midst of uncertainty. God asked him to come to Him freely. Brian did so under difficult circumstances and he knew worship would bring him through adversity. He allowed creativity to help him worship God in spirit and truth.
Benefits of Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth in Everyday Life
Experiencing God from your heart causes outward expressions to magnify God with your hands, feet, eyes, and mouth. You can worship Him in spirit and truth any time you want to.
That’s because you’re satisfied with Christ and He’s the greatest treasure you’ve ever found. Worship is God-centered. It’s not a performance but a reflection of your heart’s object of affection—God’s your greatest prize.
He satisfies your soul (your mind, will, and emotions) like nothing else. He’s the best person in your life to provide guidance and helps you stay in harmony with Him and others. Staying near Him changes you strengthening you for what’s ahead!