Encouragement for Today - Mar. 19, 2010

March 19, 2010

More Worship, Less Whine

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship." Job 1:20 (NIV)

Devotion:

When good things happen to you do you respond with worship? How about when bad things happen? I know my first instinct isn't to worship. It's to whine. I whine about my doubts, my fears, my own misgivings. I whine about what I think might happen. I whine about how unfair life is. Worship, I must confess, is usually the last thing on my mind.

When I read today's verse, I was taken aback at Job's response to the news that all of his sons and daughters had died. Poor, longsuffering Job earned his place in history as a man who stayed true to God despite his circumstances. He was faithful and trusted God no matter what got thrown at him. He lived in expectation that, even though things looked grim, God had a better plan. So when he received terrible, heart wrenching news, his first response was what we see in today's verse: worship.

I recently had a situation where I got a bit of good news, mixed with some bad. In that moment, I had two choices to make: praise God for the good or dwell on the bad. Guess what I chose? I went straight to the bad, lamenting the negative and worrying about things I couldn't control.

The next day in my quiet time I read this verse. God got my attention, reminding me of how I had responded; how my attitude was certainly not pleasing to Him. I confessed to Him that I was wrong and asked Him to help me remember to worship in good times and bad, to find a reason to praise Him no matter what. The point of our worship isn't to respond to our circumstances but to respond to His character, to seek His heart and not focus on ours.

My hope is that every day, in every circumstance, I will choose worship as my first response. I want to follow Job's example, even when I don't feel like it, even as worries and doubts threaten to take over. I want to build into my life the habit of worshiping a lot more and whining a lot less. Will you join me?

Dear Lord, please help me remember to worship as my first response instead of whine. Help me to seek Your heart instead of focusing on my own. I want to honor You in the bad times, as well as in the good. Help me to remember it is not my circumstances that matter, but Your character. And that is always worthy of praise! Most of all, thank You for Your patience with me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life by Louie Giglio

Visit Marybeth's blog

Worship: Nearing the Heart of God by Brian T. Anderson & Glynnis Whitwer

The Reason We Speak, General Editor Marybeth Whalen

Redirect your focus when bad things happen with Seeing God in All Things

Application Steps:

The next time you receive good news or bad, determine to respond in worship. Ask a friend to hold you accountable.

Reflections:

If you have already formed the habit of worship as a first response, how did you build that habit into your life? Visit Marybeth's blog today to share any ideas you might have on this.

Power Verses:

I Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (NIV)

Job 5:11, "The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." (NIV)

Proverbs 31 Ministries

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