Acts of Worship

Just as I have for the past year, maybe years, I sang Joy to the World with the girls before bed. The nightly request is almost always the same and I gladly honor it because I don’t believe there’s any reason to reserve it only for Christmastime.

All day today when I was feeling flustered or rushed I tried to look at whatever I was doing as an act of worship. I wasn’t really sure how to do that so I just ended up saying, “God, may this (whatever I was doing) be an act of worship to you. I am honestly a little surprised by the results. It’s not like I had some awe-inspiring, Holy Ghost filled day, but there were several times that as I prayed that prayer I could feel myself relax about whatever undesirable or mundane task was at hand. Instead of worrying about myself, I could instead remember that whatever I was doing (whether it be taking care of the kids or visiting my dad) was in some small way furthering God’s Kingdom.

So tonight as I began to sing that song (even though I was tired and wanted rush through the bedtime routine to get to “me time”), I remembered that this should most definitely be an act of worship. I closed my eyes and really listened to each word as we sang it:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing

And as we sang I prayed for the hearts of all those that do not yet know Jesus to begin preparing room for Him and for our world to receive Him as King.

The earth is groaning for King Jesus right now. A lot of times I don’t know what to do when there is so much turmoil and destruction and hatred going on across the oceans, but I suppose that prayers and daily acts offered as worship to Jesus matter more than I probably even realize.

Lord, let everything I do be an act of worship unto you.