Daily Worship

When I called my dad for his birthday this year, he reminded me of something that a family friend had told me. He got a word from the Lord for me about worship. Dad said that this was biblically-based because of Romans 12:1—

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship” (TNIV).

I don’t often just stop and think about worship. There’s the obvious “worship time” during church, or even during my personal time with the Lord, but worship is more than that. Worship is how I live my life. It’s something that I do daily, consciously putting the daily activities of my life in the hands of the Lord. There are some obvious times that I feel compelled by the Lord to do something (usually something I wouldn’t ordinarily want to do) or in a burst of joy just thank Him in the middle of the day. But in what other ways do I express worship for the Lord?

From personal experience which I know many of you can relate to, I work with people and students throughout my entire day. By the end of a really long day, it is hard for me to continue to be kind to those around me. But in the last couple years I’ve had to learn that I must give my day to the Lord. As I’m driving to school I pray for whatever situation I might encounter. I’ve even dubbed a song that I use to pray over my students this year! It’s amazing to see personalities and hearts change throughout the year, more than just academically.

I know that the people that I have relationships with–whether I am aware of it at the time or not–weigh the way that they approach situations based on other situations that they’ve had throughout the day. I have the opportunity to be a positive influence in their day, even if that means simply smiling, asking about their day, and actually listening.

Recently I’ve had to ask myself, Does the way that I convey myself around people actually reflect my heart? In some cases sadly, I would have to say that no, it doesn’t. But by focusing on God’s point of view in every situation, it helps me to tune my actions to match my heart. My words can be more than just rote conversation. Rather, it can be an uplifting encouragement that comes directly from the Lord! I pray that you can face the daily pressures of life and still experience the unique joys that surround you every day. God can surprise you! What ways does the Lord use to speak to you, even in the midst of the busyness of the day? I cannot wait to see what God does with the people around me as our hearts become more focused on worshiping Him!

This post was written by Hannah Dillard.