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Aug 01, 2022 08:00am

When Was the Last Time You Worshiped?

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The words, whispered by my wife, startled me as we watched a Phil Wickham video on YouTube. We were sitting in the living room of my parents’ house, enjoying fellowship with them and my sister while listening to various worship songs on TV while we talked.

For context, I am the youth director and part-time children’s church leader at my church. On an alternating rotation, I teach children’s church on Sunday mornings for one month at a time, six months out of the year. When I’m not teaching children’s church, I am often needed to work in the sound room. Because of that, there may be only a handful of Sundays every few months that I sit in with the congregation during a worship service.

I had not really thought about how long it had been since I last truly worshiped until my wife voiced the question.

“Probably at SOAR,” I finally replied.

Worship has always been one of my favorite parts of the SOAR Conferences I have been to. I am friends with several members of the band, SOAR Collective, and all of them are gifted and genuine people who love to lead worship. Standing there in the midst of hundreds of other youth pastors, leaders, families, and teenagers, being led before the throne by such a talented ensemble, it was easy to focus on singing to God and worshiping through the song lyrics.

But SOAR was nearly a month ago. While I may have had one or two private worship sessions in the car on the way to work, that hardly happens every day, and I realize now that it’s not enough.

Because worship isn’t just about singing songs. It’s a heart posture, recognizing God’s goodness, holiness, and worthiness and magnifying those attributes in relation to oneself. Worship, whether through song or otherwise, is an acknowledgement of God’s Lordship.

So why can’t I worship from the sound room? Why can’t I worship even to the sing-along songs played for children’s church? Worship is not about physical placement. It’s not about us. It’s about God.

I will admit, though, that there’s something special about worshiping in the midst of fellow believers. That’s why worship at SOAR is so powerful. That’s why I feel more worshipful on a Sunday morning when I’m in the congregation than when I’m secluded in the sound room or teaching children as one of the few adults in the room. But even in those situations, I should still come to the Father with a heart of worship.

God deserves our worship. He doesn’t deserve to have to wait until it’s a convenient time for us, until we’ve got just the right people around us and lights are dimmed just the right way and the drums and pads and keyboard are creating an atmosphere that stirs our emotions. He deserves our worship now, in every moment, magnifying His name and praising His holiness.

I’m glad my wife asked me that question. It stopped me in my tracks and made me wonder why the answer wasn’t, “This morning in children’s church” or “A few minutes ago, as that last song was playing.” I am thankful for the reminder that I can and should worship God anywhere, anytime.

So what about you? When was the last time you worshiped?