Part 5: A Heart of Worship (Back 2 Basics Series)

This is a guest post by Ailie Baumann

A Heart of Worship is More than Songs

I’ve always loved worship. In fact, I’ve sometimes wondered if I’m a bit of a stereotypical Christian because my main choice of music is Christian worship. Regardless, I find that worship is my quickest route to God’s heart. It has a way of ushering me deep into his presence which steadies my heart.

Still, worship for myself and probably many of you remains defined as a church activity. We limit our moments of worship to Sundays and/or Wednesdays while confining our worship to songs. But, God has much more in mind when he created us to worship.

A Deeper Look at Worship

Worship is a heart attitude or position. It entails us taking that stance of one who is prostrate before the Living God. It is an act of purity, faith, and truth. In a place of worship, I lay my heart bare before God knowing that he cares about all the things that are going on in my life. My worship becomes an act of surrender. God, I surrender all to you because I know that you are able and trustworthy. I know that you are faithful. You will not disappoint me.

Through a heart of worship, we approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews). We enter into the presence of God. We know this is a God who is pleased with us, whose heart is fixed on our best, and who is our number one fan. In this place, we let go and trust. We know that God is greater than our circumstances. Our worship lifts our eyes off of ourselves and places it onto Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Our gaze shifts from despair to hope. Faith rises up, and we find ourselves grounded and secure. We stop partnering with doubt and fear, and we come into full agreement with God’s heart for us and the finished work of the cross.

Worship as a Lifestyle

Worship as a lifestyle is possible. We need to be open to adapting our worship out of the conventional views of worship. These conventional views limit worship to church gatherings and services or the singing of songs.

Is worship singing? Yes, and more. Worship entails dancing, art, service, love, relationship. Worship is any act that brings glory to God and magnifies his name. It could be shouts of praise and declarations. At the heart of it, your spirit comes into agreement with the nature of God. It's an act of pouring out your adoration to Him who is worth all glory, honor, and praise.

In today’s fast-paced life, taking the time to worship God can be challenging if not impossible, at times. So, how do we create a lifestyle of worship?

Here are some of the ways that I worship God while being a busy working mom of three little boys:

• Worship in the car - Wherever I am going, whether to work, school, shops, or church, I seize the opportunity to play worship music in the car. Here, I can fix my eyes off of my day and onto God. I come as I am with all my stuff, and I lay it at his feet so that I can pour out praise. 
• Create - As a creative person, I love to engage with God through my creativity. This may be through blessing someone else, coloring in, drawing, painting, crafts, etc. I allow myself to commune with God through what I am doing. It's worship because my heart is completely turned towards him. Sometimes, this has happened while I've been cooking dinner or breakfast. 
• Sing and Dance - One of my favorite, yet perhaps lease exercised worship ideas is putting my worship music on (often via YouTube) and dancing with my boys. They love it, and I get to model a heart of worship. I have also been one to worship while housecleaning. It may cause a comical scene, yet the joy and freedom this form of worship brings are liberating. 
• Serving - Every moment I take to serve others unconditionally, I am worshipping God. I am noticing his unconditional love and regard for me and for others. I am entering an agreement with his heart and allowing him to minister to others through me.
• Make up my own worship - Sometimes I sing my own songs or make my own music. It may not sound like American Idol or The Voice, but that's ok because it comes out of my heart.  This may be in English or it may be in my heavenly language. Whatever shape it takes, I release my own sound of adoration and love to my savior God. 
• Telling Jesus that I love him – Tell Jesus you love him. Call on his name. This is worship.

What are some of the ways that you love to worship God?

Ailie Baumann
from Johannesburg, South Africa

Hi there, I'm a passionate lover of Jesus, wife, mom of three boys, and author of Pen Paper Paint (www.p3alive.com). I love to share my life and love for Jesus with others in the hopes of inspiring them toward a deeper relationship with him. I want to share the realities that Jesus is intricately involved in our everyday life. I love chocolate, drawing, music, and sushi. My goal in life is to love others wholeheartedly.