I have previously written about God being the focus of worship and how that should happen in the church. In this post, however, we will be thinking of the worship that takes place outside the walls of a church. In preparation for this post, I stumbled on the hymn “Come Thou Fount”. Growing up in the church, I heard this song a lot, so the words slowly lost their meaning and just became words devoid of meaning. Because of that, I never realized how much the words were a call to worship, specifically to personal worship. Personal worship has been an instrument God has used to carry me through many hard times in my life. While worship in the church alongside brothers and sisters in the faith is special, worship between you and God alone can be just as powerful.

Tune My Heart

“Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy, never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise”

“Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” Hebrews 13:15

Worship is not bound to Sunday morning; it must be woven into daily life. Hebrews encourages us to, at all times, offer up our praise to God. It does not say only when we are gathered in the church. God deserves much more worship than can fit in a church service. We need to be worshiping throughout the week. Worship in church should be a continuation of worship done during the week. If you only worship in church, then you are missing out on the great gifts of worship that God grants. Our hearts should stay tuned to sing praises to God. God has done more than enough to elicit our loudest praise and worship. It is not hard to see the reasons to worship God. “Come Thou Fount” brings to mind the streams of mercy God has shown. There is not enough time to fulfill what God deserves, so why restrict ourselves to a portion of a church service. Worship God as you drive, worship Him as you work around the house, and worship Him as you go through the mundane day to day. God should not just get one day for our praises to rise, we need to lift our worship in every area of our life.

Fixed Upon the Mount

“Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love”

“Those who trust in and rely on the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.” Psalm 125:1

When personal worship is woven into your life, you will see how anchoring worship can be. In a world that speeds on by and brings many changes and trials, personal worship will help you slow down and reorient the focus back on God and His love. Do not fall for the lie that you need to speed along with the world, slow down, be still, and worship the God who pours out His love endlessly for you. Fix your eyes to the God of the universe. In the past, there have been many times that I have been tempted to take my eyes off of God and onto my problems. It is in those moments that brings the most crucial moments of worship. Remain during the trials and praise the one who hears your worship through them. God calls us to sing before we believe. Worship in joy and sorrow all the same.

Prone to Wander

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

 Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it 

Seal it for Thy courts above”

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, each one, to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] to fall on Him [instead of us].” Isaiah 53:6

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, I will walk and live in Your truth; direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].” Psalm 86:11

Of all the lines in “Come Thou Fount”, this has always hit me deepest. Every time I sing it, I think back on the times when I felt my heart wander. Even when you love God, our hearts are naturally tempted to look for something new. That is why it is important to worship daily. Worship can bring to mind just the right thing when we need it most. It is easier to remember a song you heard than something a pastor said in a sermon. I have years of learning from music that I can draw from when I need it. That is what happens when you worship every day with God. Your worship does not need to wait until Sunday, you can bring it to God any day of the week. There is freedom to worship God whenever and wherever you are. It is much better to listen to music that lifts your eyes rather than keeps your eyes fixed on your circumstances. Give God your whole heart in worship and seal it into His hands.