Experiencing Worship in Daily Trials

 

It is no accident that Sunday mornings, which are to be set aside for quiet reverence and intimate worship with God, always end up feeling frantic and exhausting. Yesterday was no different.

Here’s a little peek at my morning yesterday:

5:00 a.m. – Jump out of bed and rush to get dressed and ready for church

5:45 a.m. – Finish typing the worship slides before kids wake up!

6:30 a.m. – Coax the kids out of bed (easier said than done)

6:45 a.m. – Talk the kids into eating their breakfast (not for the faint of heart)

7:00 a.m. – Convince Princess Butterfly to wear something that actually looks – well – put together

7:10 a.m. – Spend 10 minutes minimum chasing Little Man around the house as he squeals and ducks

under tables to avoid having to put on his shirt

7:20 a.m. – Start the entire chase over again to help Little Man brush his teeth

7:30 a.m. – Chase the kid again in a desperate attempt to get gel into his hair

7:45 a.m. – Grab diapers, sippy cups, and other essential church items

8:00 a.m. – Start walking out the door and smell something highly offensive… that’s right, Little Man has

chosen this exact moment to poop his pants!

 

So there’s a taste of our Sunday Morning madness, and after that exhausting couple of hours it’s time to arrive at church and hit the ground running!

As we get bogged down with the daily grind of life, including those daily trials and frustrations that we all have to face, it can be easy to allow our attitude of worship to slip quietly away. My wife and I have been going through a Bible Study based on the Book of James, however, and have been learning that we should take joy in life’s trials, since every trial is an opportunity for us to display God’s glory in our lives.

 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4

 

This really hit me as I sat at the piano yesterday morning, listening as our church family raised their voices together and sang How Great Is Our God. I thought about the hundreds of small trials each and every family probably had to face in order to make it to church that morning, and the number of obstacles that awaited us once we arrived at God’s house. But we had shown ourselves faithful, and now we were gathered together to praise His name and be encouraged by His Word.

And I realized that the singing and Bible lessons were not our only acts of worship that morning. Each and every daily obstacle we had faced that morning had been an opportunity for worship. This really encouraged my heart, and helped me see my daily routine with fresh eyes.

 

What Daily Trials (and Opportunities for Worship) Are You Facing?

 

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