I feel so grateful to be in a place where my contentment and worship flows so naturally. I’m in a season where thankfulness is overflowing from my spirit and my heart longs to praise the Lord with my entire being. This has been such a sweet season, and I give God all the credit for that. My Father has been taking this opportunity to teach me about what worship looks like, and what it can look like in each and every day - no matter if it feels natural or not. 

Worship means to show honor or reverence and I really love coming back to this definition because it’s the most perfect reminder that worship is a) not based on our feelings and b) not only singing or making music. Worship can be expressed in so many ways, so many mediums, and I think it’s a beautiful reflection of our Father’s creativity. God wants to receive our worship, but He’s given us each such unique hearts and gifts, and so He doesn’t create expectations for how we should worship. All He wants is our hearts, and we get to give Him that however it works for us and wherever our spirit leads us. 

Why do we want to worship in the first place, though? Because God is so deserving of it. He is holy and perfect and absolutely loving, and He has blessed us beyond measure. When we experience His character, the response of our hearts should be worship. It should be to pour out adoration and honor to the Lord because He is so kind to us, beyond what we deserve, and He is above all things. 

We also worship because it’s a beautiful connection between us and God. It’s such an intimate practice to give our hearts to the Father completely and wholly, to admire Him and give Him the honor He deserves. It draws our hearts towards Him and opens up a gateway of relationship, and it’s so beautiful. For me, worship is an opportunity where I get to make space to hear from the Father and listen to Him. It’s a conversation. I often feel hyper-aware of His presence during worship, and that builds my faith and my testimony when I get to sit and be near my Abba. 

So today, I’m going to be sharing a list of inspiration for how you can incorporate worship into your everyday life. Some of these are going to be things that I practice personally, and others aren’t, but I want to show you that there are so many ways to worship God, and how important it is to engage in that every day. Worship is a blessing to both us and God, and it creates such a beautiful dynamic between us and the Almighty. 

1. Music 

Of course, music is the first thing that people think of when they hear the word worship. And while music and singing isn’t the only thing worship is, it definitely is part of it! I am one of those people who really connect with the Lord in that way, and that’s something that I’ve been working on being really intentional about including in my everyday time with God and routine.

I’m learning that God delights in hearing His children’s voices in genuine adoration of His character and who He is. Sometimes my worship to the Lord is being still on the floor, listening to worship music. Sometimes it’s just my voice as I go around doing my daily activities, just full of the Spirit. And sometimes, it’s a mix of music and my voice, in my room, in my car, or at church. But always, no matter how I do it, when my heart posture is tilted towards Jesus, there is so much peace and joy in that worship. That’s the experience in every single one of these acts of worship, and it’s a gift from God. 

"Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." - Psalms 95:2

2. Stillness 

Stillness is another practice that I’ve been adding into my daily time with Jesus and it has been so good for my soul. It’s important that you quiet everything - your phone, your mind, your music. You have to be silent and create space to hear the Father’s voice and allow your heart to truly just admire our Abba. When we are still, we allow our bodies and mind the ability to completely and wholeheartedly thank God for who He is and what He has done. We shut out lies and our own feelings and the noise of the world and give all we are to worshipping Him. 

It’s also a really beautiful space to hear the Lord. My flesh tends to lean into anxiety instead of worship, so I’m practicing seeking the Lord in stillness and surrendering to His voice. I think creating that space for God to move in your heart, however He wants, is an act of worship in itself, and that brings an overflow of peace. His voice and presence stills all anxiety, all fear, all lies, and it allows Him to do things that we wouldn’t get to experience if we were bogged down by our own mind and feelings.

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'" - Psalms 46:10

3. Journaling 

Journaling is such a simple practice but it’s an amazing one to put our praise towards God on paper and then be able to look back on how He moves. It forces us to slow down and really process why we are so thankful for Jesus. This has been one of those things that involved a lot of other practices that I’ve mentioned and will mention, because it brings me to stillness and music. It humbles me to set aside my own feelings and struggles of the day and refocuses myself on who God is. I’m also a writer, and so sometimes my words flow easier if I put them on paper. It’s not about sounding eloquent, though, it’s about being genuine and pouring out our worship to the Father who deserves all of it. 

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." - Psalms 45:1

4. Art 

I’m not an artist in the slightest, but art is an incredible mode that the Lord has gifted us to worship Him through. Some people are so talented artistically or simply enjoy it, and if that’s you, then use that to connect with the Father and praise Him! Create art and beauty that reflects His character and what He’s doing in your life. Honor Him with your gifts, from a heart that genuinely loves and adores Him, and God will receive your worship with such joy. God has given you these gifts and He loves when you bring Him what He’s given you back to Him. 

"and has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with all kinds of skills - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts." - Exodus 35:31-33

5. Exercise 

Our bodies are a TEMPLE, you guys! This fact blows my mind so often but if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and follow Him completely, then His Holy Spirit lives in you. We are housing the Holy Spirit in us. And when we exercise and move our bodies in a healthy way, that is worship to our Father because we are tending to the temple that He has given us. We are honoring Him with the gift and pouring it back to Him, and I really believe that blesses Him. When we do it for the glory and adoration of God, it’s worship, and He loves to receive it. 

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

6. Serving 

God has called us to love others how He loves us, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and so I know that serving honors God and is an act of worship. When we humble ourselves and serve others, putting them before ourselves, we are reflecting the character of God and loving on His creation. We are doing the work and mission that He has called us to, and not only is that a blessing to our hearts and to those we’re serving, it’s worship to the Father. It’s obedience and it honors Him, and I know He loves it when we extend that love and grace to others. 

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people," - Ephesians 6:7

7. Forgiveness 

Forgiveness again is a reflection and a response to how Jesus has loved and forgiven us, and when we act in obedience to extend that same grace to others, I know God is so proud of us. It's an act of worship to recognize the forgiveness God has so graciously lavished on us, and then to respond in a way to share that with those who have hurt us. It's a command, but I also believe it's an act of worship to forgive out of a heart that is so grateful for what God has given us.

"Bear with each others and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." - Colossians 3:13

8. Your everyday job/activity 

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God," and Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." We sometimes make worship out to be this set apart time and space were we enter worship and then leave it to go about the rest of our routine. But I'm learning that worship is an attitude we can adopt in every moment of every day, throughout everything we have to do. Whether it's school, sports, work, or even chores around the house, when we decide that we are going to do it for the glory and goodness of God, then that is one of the most beautiful kinds of worship. And, it breathes new life and purpose into our mundane to-dos.

I hope that this list proves to you that there are an endless amount of ways that we can worship God, adoring Him and giving Him all of the glory! Our Almighty God, perfect Father in heaven, is absolutely deserving of all of our praise, and it's important that we prioritize worshipping Him every day, even if it doesn't feel natural.

I also feel that it's important that I touch on worshipping God even when we're questioning and doubting Him. We can worship while still having questions, and when we come to the Lord with an open and surrendered heart, acknowledging both our reservations and His character, I think God is blessed by that and is proud of us when we come to Him honestly. I know it's not easy - I know - but it's still so important and necessary to not follow the desires of our flesh but clean into the Spirit.

What ways do you love to worship? Is there anything I left out of this list! Let me know in the comments below!