Finding Rest in the Rhythms of LifeShembull

The Rhythm of Worship

The significance of our rhythm of worship is rooted in the One to whom we give our affections, and the benefit to us lies in the perspective that this provides for our lives.

We celebrate what matters in our lives in multiple ways. Whether it is a sports team or our devices, we sing the praises of the things that have had a significant impact on our lives. Many of us find ourselves attempting to create a distinction between these types of things and the acknowledgment of God, but where we apply our worship is an indicator of our real affections. Remembering the finished work of Jesus and the sheer amazement that it would be true in our lives leads us to a posture of thanksgiving. It says in Psalm 95:1–3, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

I have never really been much of a singer. In the times at church when there would be an opportunity to lift our voices corporately in worship, I’d usually find myself holding back a bit. I always knew it to be true but never really thought about why. I began to ask the Lord to show me, in my heart, the reasons why I was withholding a bit of my gusto. It turned out, the source of my issue was quite simple. I was getting in my way. I realized that I had been so focused on my experience, my comfort, and my singing voice that I forgot the basic premise of the time. It was to acknowledge and elevate the King of Glory and to exalt his name. Too much of me in the equation caused me to divert my focus in an unhealthy way.

Repositioning and deepening my concentration on the purpose for worship helped me to purify my approach to worship and adjusted my understanding of its benefits. Many people I’ve talked to have expressed that they are growing bored with the ordinary means of experiencing God in their life or their church. This is alarming because we know that God is not a source that can or will run dry of goodness and engagement. We need to search for that which is ancient, rather than that which is relevant. We can make this mysterious and grand connection in the midst of our rhythm of worship.

To lift up the name of Jesus simply for who he is and what he’s done gives me great confidence and brings calibration to my heart’s pursuits. When we have a posture of worship, it leads us to a place of understanding of God’s power and glory, and then helps to settle our angst and longing. When we lift up his name, it reveals to us the other “names” or things that we’ve been giving our affection and attention to. As our idols, or other areas of worship, are revealed, we can surrender their hold or appeal to us so that we are free to experience what God has for us. 

It is easy for us to move to a very self-focused and self-centered way of living, even inside of our church experience. We can make it all about us—our comfort, our preferences, and our takeaways from the time. Giving our hearts to a rhythm of worship repositions our perspective, leading us to remember the reason for it all.