How to Choose Worship Over Worry: 4 Practical Tips
The forest pushes heavenward, reaching toward the sky with a desperation that makes my heart ache. Life has been challenging here lately. As much as I want to choose worship over worry, my worries have been consuming me.
As I stand at the kitchen sink and stare at the forest outside, I consider the trees. At times, it seems as if all of creation cries out for redemption—deliverance.
I wash a menagerie of spoons, knives, and plastic children’s bowls as the morning light rises behind the tree line. That’s when I notice a single beam of heaven’s light reaching down to touch the treetops.
“Yes,” I whisper, “This.”
This will be my anthem: Not that I reached up to touch God in my desperation, but that he reached down for me.
The kitchen is silent, but my heart worships the one who is greater than all my worries.
Worship Over Worry
Later in the day, I sit to write as I listen to a worship playlist. The songs remind me that my God has not failed me. They offer truth to stand on. They help me lift my eyes off my worries and fix them on Christ.
Throughout the past decade, I’ve learned that I cannot worship and worry at the same time. It’s simply not possible to praise God while perseverating over my troubles.
Scripture illustrates this principle remarkably through the story of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah during a time of unrest for God’s people. Jehoshaphat’s most noteworthy moment took place as enemy troops advanced against God’s people. Instead of rallying his men to draw their swords and fight, King Jehoshaphat commanded them to leave their swords sheathed and praise God in song.
As God’s army praised him, the enemy troops began slaying one another instead of attacking God’s people. King Jehoshaphat led God’s people to victory, and worship was their weapon (see 2 Chronicles 20).
In the same way, when we choose worship over worry, the enemy loses the battle for our attention. Worship aligns our hearts with Jesus, and we find our victory in him. He is the King, and he has already won the war.
Practical Ways to Choose Worship Over Worry
Throughout the past year, worship music has carried me through some worried times. After neglecting the practice of consistently engaging in worship within the walls of our home for a few years, I am beyond grateful for the friend who nudged me to enter into worship through music again.
Listening to worship music can change the spiritual atmosphere in any space almost immediately when we enter into worship.
Most of us immediately think of music when we think of worship. Yet any activity that leads us to stand in adoration of God can stir our hearts to worship.
In addition to connecting with God through worship music (at home, in the car, at work, and with others in public settings), I encourage you to choose worship over worry by worshiping in the following unconventional ways.
Pair a Repetitive Daily Task With Worship
Learning to pair a repetitive daily task with worship is a helpful way to choose worship over worry.
Every morning, I slip into my boots and head outside to tend to our beagles.
At times, cleaning and filling their water dishes and cleaning their pens feels monotonous. One winter morning about a year ago, I sensed God inviting me to stop, take a deep breath, and worship him while I worked.
I paused to look to the sky and thank him for the streaks of salmon above the eastern horizon and the snow blanketing the fields to the west.
I slowed down to pet each beagle and look into their dark eyes. In the process, something shifted within me. I felt deeply connected with God, grateful.
Now, I look forward to my mornings outside with the dogs. It has become a time to shed the worries of the day and thank God for his goodness.
I always return to the house feeling replenished—even amid blizzards and summer rain showers.
Worship While You Prepare a Meal
Worshiping during the process of cooking changes the way I undertake this activity. Here’s what this looks like for me: First, I thank God for providing the ingredients for the meal I’m preparing. I take my time by setting the ingredients on the counter, thanking God for his goodness and care.
I then prepare the food slowly, paying attention to the aroma and the texture of the food as it cooks. I’m mindful of the origins of the food I’m preparing—thinking of the farmer who harvested the wheat for my flour or the sugarcane for the cookies.
I talk with God, allowing the act to be mindful and deliberate. I think of those who don’t have the luxury of a warm meal or the provision to purchase so many ingredients. In the process, my heart overflows with gratitude. Instead of hurrying through meal prep, I feel grateful and deeply connected to God.
Turn Eating Into an Act of Worship
Before we discuss worshipful eating, I begin with a question I’ve asked myself dozens of times: How would your eating patterns be different if eating were always a worshipful act for you?
When I worshipfully pay attention to the presence of Jesus with me while I eat, I eat differently. There is no room for compulsive eating, comfort eating, or escapist eating.
Before he went to the cross, Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper. Perhaps he chose this very ordinary, essential human activity to be our ongoing reminder of his sacrifice because he wanted us to remember him often. He wanted us to think of him many times throughout our days and weeks. What if we tuned into his presence every time we sat to eat? I believe we would be changed radically.
Worship God While You Care for Your Home
All too often, I find myself grumbling while I clean.
Imagine a life in which worship and cleaning automatically coincide. Imagine that every time you stand at the sink washing dishes, mop the kitchen floor, wipe down the tables, dust the mantles, or vacuum the family room you embrace a short prayer retreat with the Lord.
Feeling weary? Slip into the laundry room to fold T-shirts and encounter the heartbeat of God.
Feeling burned out? Get lost in the act of dishwashing and let God whisper to your heart over the soap suds.
Final Thoughts on Choosing Worship Over Worry
When we worship God, we adore him and praise him for his goodness. This can happen anytime, anywhere. I encourage you to push back against the enemy’s attacks of worry and discouragement by cultivating a worshipful heart.
Reflect:
What is your greatest worry right now? Take a moment to talk to God about this worry. Once you’ve told him everything you’re feeling, find a worship song on your phone or favorite device and spend a few minutes worshiping God in song. Imagine him sitting on his heavenly throne, sovereign over your worries and cares. Take your eyes off your worry and focus on Jesus. Notice the shift in your soul afterward.
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