Mar 12, 2010
It’s Hard to Find Time to Worship: Lent, Week 3
After devoting so much of my life to reading the Bible, I’ve realized during Lent this year that I’ve been underemphasizing the importance of worship. The first commandment says we should worship the Lord only, and idolatry repeatedly caused problems for the people of Israel.
What makes me think I’m any different?
While I’m fasting from the internet in the evenings and on the weekends, I’ve also been trying to set aside twenty minutes each morning for worship. It usually involves some worship music to help me stay focused and to direct my thoughts toward God.
This has not been easy.
Purity of worship is one of the most important goals in scripture. Israel fell apart because the people failed to worship God and chose to worship and imitate idols instead. If we aren’t worshipping God and giving our devotion to him, then we’ll surely end up worshipping something or someone, whether it’s money, a goal, or even ourselves.
When we fail to worship God our thoughts are clouded by the priorities of this life and may even dehumanize us since we become like what we worship. This came up in the Old Testament when the Israelites became hardened against God and others much like their idols who lacked the ability to hear or care.
I’m reminded by this struggle to work on stopping more often during Lent to worship God and to work on sitting in his presence. This is tough to do. In fact, it’s tougher than I think it should be, which means I’m probably in greater need of more time to worship God than I could guess.
This is so good, Ed. My personal “home base” for worship is Psalm 100. It’s filled with practical instruction and great theology.
[Reply]
Thanks Ray. I’m realizing just how much of a busy-body I can be. I’ve been sensing the need to spend more time in the presence of the Lord during Lent. I’m getting better about managing my time, but now I need to “manage” my worship.
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