Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Boiling Waters PH.
“If the stars were made to worship, so will I.”
Worship is such a powerful moment for everyone. Whether it’s the first time, or the nth time for someone to do it, and whether it’s in the midst of a crowd in church, or while alone, praying, singing worship to God, it always connects us best to the One who loves us most.
But, sometimes, despite it being a natural thing to do, worship is also the hardest thing to do. When we’re hurt, broken, wounded, lonely, feeling far away from God, and even, feeling empty and wondering, what seems so natural is, during those times, a very awkward thing to do. As I have heard from some people, or even, from myself during those times that I was so broken and bruised, “how can I worship a God who has let me all through this pain, this suffering, this hurt?”
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And one answer that I have learned and have been learning, is that God doesn’t need us to worship Him. He is great already as He is. In fact, He doesn’t need us to do anything for Him, for there is nothing we can do to ever add up to His glory. And yet, we worship Him both at our best and our worst because we need Him. It is through worship that we talk to God more intimately, and it is through worship that we understand that God is always at work, even behind our pain, our suffering, our nothingness. And more importantly, we worship, as we revere God into adding something that we so desperately need in our life.
Now, you might be thinking, “worship should always be a song.” And the answer is… no. Even a seemingly weird moment of talking to God (which, to some, may look even weirder because you might be speaking alone) is actually worship. Prayer is worship. Attending the Mass (if you’re Catholic) is worship (the highest one, in fact). Even work, driving, being nice to people, helping the needy, being faithful to your promises – everything can be worship.
But why? Why do these?
Well, again, we don’t have to. But we do anyway as a response to our situation, and somehow, to acknowledge that God is in the midst of our situation. Now, your situation may be good now, and you respond to God being in there by worshiping Him with thanks. Or you may be in the midst of a heart break at this very moment, and you respond to it with worship, believing that God will be in the midst of that brokenness, working the good despite everything going bad at the surface. Or you might be unbelieving for the longest time, and then, on this very moment, you need a miracle, and you talk to God as if God is a being that you’re talking to the first time. I don’t know what you’re in right now, but whatever situation you’re in, I hope you find time to actually do worship God, entrusting your situation to Him.
Maybe it is in the midst of you worshiping Him that you begin to understand how God is working in the background of everything, fixing the situation that you’re in right now, the situation where you desperately need Him in. Maybe it is in the midst of you worshiping Him that you begin to understand that whatever is happening right now, despite being bad and not being orchestrated by Him, is now for a bigger, better purpose in your life.
Besides, God is telling you, “so, you were rejected, ridiculed, betrayed? So was I. And yet, you are still loving like I commanded you to. I am so proud of you. And just as you will still love in the midst of your brokenness, child, so will I. Always. Even before time began. Even until time ends.”
Dear, just as you willingly chose to love like Jesus does, and like Jesus will, so will He love, even if eventually, you choose not to anymore.
