Set ApartSample

Day Three: Worry vs. Worship

The things Martha did weren’t the problem; the issue lay in the heart behind her actions. Jesus says Martha was “worried and upset about many things” (Luke 10:41). She was frustrated and anxious.

The same was true for me before I learned to work from a place of worship.

Most people think of worship as singing praise to God. Worship includes songs, but it goes way beyond that. At its root, worship is a heart posture, a recognition of God’s majesty, a deliberate and joyful choice to honor him with our thoughts, words, and actions. 

It’s a priceless treasure to recognize that we can worship as we do dishes, have coffee with a friend, or change a diaper. Worship changes your home into a cathedral of celebration and your workplace into a palace of praise. What joy that brings! 

On the other hand, anything we do from our own strength eventually exhausts us. We snap and gripe, even at those we love most. In our desire to do things a particular way, we can forget the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that you and I have been set apart for good work; it’s part of our identity in Christ. That’s why it’s crucial we remember that work is not our enemy; work is not our problem. Work—whether at home, at the office, or at church—can be our place of worship. Jesus says we’re missing out when we work from anxiety (see Matthew 11:28–30). Worship—wherever and whenever—is always the better way. 

Working from worship is so different from the world’s way of working. I wonder what would have happened if Martha had taken this trust into her work. She likely would have still served a meal to her guests that night. But as she set the table, she might have lingered in the doorway to catch a few words of Jesus’s teachings. She might have stopped and listened to his conversation with Mary and even asked a few questions of her own.

When we trust God’s provision, we have time to rest and listen to him. The reward of worship is rest in God’s provision. 

Lord God, I stop and worship you now. You are worthy of all praise, all honor, all glory. I want more of you and less of me. I love you, my Savior and King. In Jesus’s name, amen.