Is worship easy for you? Let me rephrase that – it worship of God easy for you?
Six years ago my life changed. I went from being single in control of my mornings, time to myself, pick the church I want to being married (to a then worship pastor, now someone still involved in worship ministries) and a mom to two littles who don’t always let me run my mornings or my days like I would like.
And Sunday mornings – we all know what Sunday mornings are like. They are crazy. My mister leaves before the the rest of us to rehearse for the morning service. Usually by the time I drop the kids off at church preschool ministries they’ve disobeyed, needed discipline, and I’m not in a “good frame of mind” to worship God.
And we’ve changed churches so much in the last 7 years. So, community and preaching and worship styles and kids ministries and women’s ministries – they all affect my ability to worship on Sunday mornings.
And I’m still working on it. Some Sunday mornings I’m in a better worship mode than others. Some, its just rough from the get-go!
Can any mom relate?
But, of course, worship is not a Sunday morning thing – not exclusively. Being in the Word, singing praise songs, working, cooking dinner, playing with our kids, dating your spouse – all of these can be acts of worship. Tuning Your Heart to Worship is a new book by Lavon Gray (New Hope Publishers) that will help you focus some time in the Psalms. The Psalms is sort of the worship guidebook for the Bible. The psalmists, under direct breath of God, experienced so many of the emotions and daily things that we face. Yet they worshiped.
In this book, there are 100 passages from the Psalms. 100 days for you to spend time in the psalms, reading them, and hearing about worship songs, ministry insights, and application points. The author encourages you to read the whole psalm not just the 1-2 verses that he highlights. The Word of God is living and active. The Word through the power of the Holy Spirit can and will change your heart of worship.
This is also a book full of application. You will be encouraged to think and process as you read through the devotion each day, but you will also be encouraged to do something next. Journal, pray, write, think, share.
I do agree with the author that this is not an academic devotional. It is more personal and one that you might use with a more academic commentary if that is something you desire.
Thank you New Hope Publishers for the book. All opinions are my own.