Worship Is More Than a Feeling

READ: PSALMS 103:1-22; 139:7-12; JOHN 14:16-18

Have you ever heard someone say, “I really feel the Lord’s presence?” I hear this most often after or during a worship service. Whether it be a church service, youth group, or some other event, I’ve heard many people say they feel closest to God when worshipping through music. Maybe you agree with them, and during worship songs you find yourself throwing your hands up in praise to God and singing with joy. Or maybe you’re not sure what you feel. You want to feel the closeness to God it seems everyone else is feeling, but all you hear is music.

I love worship songs and raising my hands in praise to God. But I must remind myself that worship is not about my feelings. Worship is about bringing honor and praise to our God, the one who loves us more than any other. And God’s presence is not dependent upon how we feel. He is always with us! We can never get further from or closer to God’s presence. In Psalm 139, David writes, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (verse 7-8). If we’ve put our trust in Jesus—believing that He died and was resurrected to save us from our sins—then through the Holy Spirit, we are always with God (Matthew 28:20).

If you have a difficult time remembering that God is with you when you don’t specifically feel His presence, it might help to spend time focusing on God’s presence outside of worship services. You could try writing out a few Bible verses (such as the verses from Psalm 139) and hanging them up in your bedroom or somewhere you’ll see them often. If it’s a challenge to focus on God during worship when you don’t feel anything, tell Him. Pray during the worship. Talking to Him about our struggles helps us remember that He is there, and that worship isn’t actually about us and our feelings. It’s about God and His never-changing presence. And we can worship Him whether our feelings cooperate or not. • Elizabeth Cooper

• Can you think of a time you didn’t feel connected to God during worship? God invites us to talk to Him when we don’t feel connected to Him. We can tell Him we don’t feel anything during worship. We can tell Him we don’t feel His presence. And we can tell Him that we’re going to praise Him anyway, because He is good and loving and so worthy of our praise.

• Besides music and singing, what are some other ways that you like to worship God?

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)