Worship......by Amanda Gonzales (Guest Blogger)

 When most of us think about worship, it probably brings up the images and thoughts of standing and worshipping in church or maybe of your private worship at home.  Mostly when people consider worship they think of things like songs, singing and possibly raising their hands and dancing before the Lord. 

            However, I would like to propose to you today that worship is more than all of this.  Worship is our whole life.  When we look into the scripture we see images of worship played out in front of us.  At the altar where the sacrifice is given, when the woman with the issue of blood reached out in faith to her Healer, when Abraham believed God for provision yet was still obedient and took Isaac up the mountain to the altar.  All of these are true authentic pictures of worship.

            I  am reminded of the lyrics to a popular contemporary Christian song, “Let my life-song sing to you”.  I am at the core of who I am a worship leader.  It is a calling on my life and there is nothing better than helping a congregation enter into a “living exchange” with their creator through song.  However while all of this is good and well intentioned God began to speak to me about my life-song a few years ago.

            Let’s just be honest and real.  Life is hard, it’s difficult at times, and we have to fight sometimes.  But that is what this whole worship thing is about.  What is it in your life that you have to surrender to God?  Surrendering is real worship.  When you look at your life and you don’t have all the answers and you don’t always know the way and you don’t necessarily know how God is going to deal with the situation your in but yet you stand back and watch God work. 

            Is there a goal, or a desire (even a natural one) that you place before your God? I too have goals and desires that are pure and wholesome.  However, I have to place those things on the altar.  I know what it is like to stand up and lead congregational worship when you yourself don’t know how God is going to intervene in a situation.  I’ve experience that song lyric “though there’s pain in the offering blessed be your name”.  I am proposing though that unless there is pain in the offering than it truly isn’t a sacrifice.    Worship is all about sacrifice.  We all have our desires and wants, even though they may be God ordained, are we willing to wait upon the Lord?  Are we willing to stand before the Lord and still give him all the praise he’s worthy of while we are waiting......  To me that is what worship is all about.  Praising him when you feel like it and praising him when you don’t.  It means turning over the very thing that you hold so tightly too and saying God do with it as you see fit.  And truly letting him.  For some it may be their children, for some it’s power, others it’s money and the list could go on.

            Worship is the whole picture of our lives.  We can’t just go to church and sing a few songs and say that we have worshipped.  Worship is a picture of a living sacrifice, truly surrendered.  We are all human and the problem is that we don’t like to sacrifice ourselves and our wants and desires.  But that is God requires of us.  John 4:23 says “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” What is your spirit telling you?  Is there something in your life your holding onto? What does the truth of God’s word tell you?  How does that truth apply to your life?

            I would like to take a minute to share a little bit of what worship in my life looks like, what my sacrifice looks like. I was born and raised in a Christian home.  I have enjoyed MANY generational blessings that come from a long line of mighty men and woman of God.  However, as we all know our faith has to become our own.  I have a deep God ordained desire for my own natural children and for my children of adoption.  I also have a desire to work for God in the missions field.  However I live in Rincon, Ga and my husband and I do not have any children and we have not yet adopted any children either.  This is because the timing for all these things have not yet come to pass in my life.  I lead worship every Sunday placing these desires on the altar.  I know what sacrifice is like, yes it’s hard but God is so good to us.  He has taught my husband and I both what it is like to stand and to wait and to be strong in the Lord while you wait.  If you live long enough as a Christian you will be attacked.  I know what that is like too.  I have been attacked from behind and from the front.  I know what it’s like for your heart to hurt and for you to ache but to be still and to stand and to worship anyway. 

            I believe it is in these times that we are able to worship more clearly and able to lift up a praise like never before.  I believe that when we are caught in the storms of life that our praise is a sweet fragrance before him.  I also believe that it is this praise that brings forth joy, strength and peace in our lives.  Worship takes our eyes off of us and puts them on Christ.  When we are focused on him and walking with him there is a peace and a joy like never before.  In Psalms 23:2 the Lord says that he makes us lie down in green pastures he leads us beside quiet waters, that he restores our soul.  That is what worship does, it calms us, it helps us to trust in him.  The word also says that he inhabits the praise of his people.  When we worship we enter into a “living exchange” with God.  We are able to surrender all of us, all our wants and desires to a living God who is able to bless us with peace and joy and stillness.  Worship is my hiding place.  It is a safe place to run when all else fails. Psalms 42:7 “Deep calls to deep”, what does our deep God call forth that is deep within you?  What is your sacrifice or praise?

            I will leave you with the words to one of my favorite worship songs, unashamed love. 

            “ He’s calling me to lay aside the worries of my day, to quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place, your worthy, you are worthy. Of a childlike faith of my honest praise of my unashamed love of a holy life of my SACRIFICE of my unashamed love.  I open up my heart and let my spirit worship yours,   I open up my mouth and let a song of praise come forth. Your worthy, you are worthy”.

About Amanda Gonzales :

Amanda lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband, Jose.  She is a music teacher and the worship leader at Westside Christian Church in Bloomingdale, Georgia.  She enjoys ministering with women and children.  Her hope is to one day go on a missionary trip to Africa.