Week 22: When should I worship?
To answer this week’s question, we need to think about what we’ve learned so far about worship. Each of us should love God with our entire being; with everything we say and do each day. Anything can be an act of worship if it’s done to honor the Lord. Wow – each, every, any, entire – those words leave nothing out! Let’s jump into this week’s devotion and see what other words God uses to describe when we should worship.
Be ready to read the following passages:
Let’s start it.
In your own words, try to define always, continually, and constantly. Look up those words afterwards to see how similar your definitions are to the dictionary meanings.
Let’s learn it.
Every word has a meaning. Since God carefully chose each word in the Bible, it’s important for us to know what those words mean. When words with the same or similar meaning show up in more than one place, then we should really pay attention. Check out Hebrews 13:15 and point out which word tells us when to praise the Lord.
Did you say, “continually” or “constantly”? We just learned that those words mean to do something again and again without stopping. But this verse tells us more than when to worship; it gives the reason why our worship should never end. “Through Jesus” the Old Testament sacrifices aren’t needed anymore! Because of His sacrifice on the Cross, we should offer praise to God over and over again each day without stopping. We should worship the Lord without any interruption.
The next word we’re going to look at is in Philippians 4:4. Read that short verse together and find the word that answers, “When?”
God didn’t use the word, “always” by mistake. There is always a reason to rejoice and praise the name of the Lord – as we learned in Hebrews 13:15. Still, when something happens that makes us feel sad, angry, or disappointed, it can pull our focus away from God. So how should we react when bad things happen? Can we really praise God in everything? Let’s look at Habakkuk 3:17-18 to see what the prophet Habakkuk did.
Can you imagine a worse situation than having no food and no way to earn money? Yet during the most difficult time of his life, Habakkuk chose to focus on his Savior. We can learn an important lesson from Habakkuk. You see, our ability to be joyful and worship the Lord isn’t connected to what happens to us. We should praise Him at all times because of who He is – not what He does or does not do.
Since He is always the same, we can always praise Him. Since Jesus’ death paid for every sin, we can honor Him every moment. Since each situation is under His control, we can devote each day to His glory. Since He has absolute power over all things, we can rejoice at all times – even in our very worst moments. Always, continually, and constantly are great words – aren’t they?
Let’s discuss it.
- How has this week’s devotion changed your thoughts about a situation that makes you feel sad or disappointed?
- Ask family members to share how they reacted during their best and worst moments from the past week. Discuss how God could be honored, praised, and worshipped in each situation.
Let’s do it.
Do you praise God when you’re happy but complain when you don’t get your way?
If we’re going to praise God continually, then we need to start and end each day with thoughts about Him. Do you give yourself time in the morning to read God’s Word, or do you rush out without setting your thoughts on Him? How many times during the week do you have a meal as a family and talk about what has happened during each person’s day? Talk for a moment about ways you can spend more time as a family to help each person focus on worshipping the Lord throughout the day – continually.