Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
— Ephesians 3: 20–21 NIV
For me, worship is expressing to God, and remembering for myself, who God was, is, and always will be, and declaring what God has done, in other’s lives and our own, past and present. At the Sunnyvale campus on Sunday, Casey Coats taught that the church worships because worship glorifies God and benefits us. The fact that worship benefits us rings so true for me, and it only makes sense. One of the greatest aspects of being a follower of God is that I have confidence in facing the challenges of life. Worship is a huge part of that. I think of it this way: if you had to leave your child, you would only entrust them to someone you knew well. It is the same with our challenges, worries and the deepest cares of our hearts. It’s hard to leave them in the hands of a God we don’t know. Worship is one of the most important paths to really knowing God and therefore trusting him.
On Sunday, Casey taught about the importance of engaging in worship at church, and ways to do that. But like prayer, for worship to really deepen our relationships with God it must continue beyond Sundays. For those who don’t know how to worship on your own or feel awkward doing it, I have some suggestions. Listening and singing along to Christian music is a wonderful way to worship. Scripture, especially many of the Psalms, contains inspiring examples of worship, which we can read and pray directly and also learn from. When I meditate on Ephesians 3:20–21, for example, I remember all God has done, and I grow in my confidence that he is still that same God who can do so much more than I can even begin to think of. We also worship when we recount what God has done in his creation: making the sun rise, the geese migrate, the tides crash and the mountains tower. As we rehearse all of these things in our hearts and minds, we remember who God has always been, and we can’t help but be strengthened as we grow in our confidence that he will continue to be that very same One each and every moment of our lives.