Becoming a Worshipful Woman
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:2
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95:6
As a woman in the 21st century, what do these words mean to you? When you read that you are to worship, how do you respond? Does the word worship bring to mind images of ‘men of God’ in long robes performing formal rituals, perhaps involving incense and recitation? Or do you think of a church service where you sing some hymns, read some Scripture, listen to a sermon and leave saying, “We worshiped God today”? While some of the above could be involved in worship, none of those things define it. Worship is not a prescribed formula, a required ritual, or a service set to somber music. Rather, worship is the occupation of your heart and mind with God Himself.
Our hearts and minds will always be occupied with something. The heart is the emotional self, our ability to feel and to respond on the basis of our feelings. But God says we must guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) because our feelings cannot always be trusted. They are constantly changing and influenced by Satan. Our hearts, left to themselves, will make everything about us. Worship occupies our minds with God and makes it all about Him.
The mind is the intellectual self, our ability to think and reason and understand. But God says we must continually renew our minds (Romans 12:2) because our thoughts cannot always be trusted. They are often shallow and selfish and vulnerable to Satan’s deception. Our minds, left to themselves, will think only about us. Worship occupies our minds with God and chooses to focus our thoughts on Him.
Every day, our hearts and minds are bombarded with desires, problems, and responsibilities constantly vying for our attention. Worship turns down the volume of all that clamor and centers our attention on the goodness, power, and character of God. Worship occupies our hearts and minds with Him so “that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).
When left to our own natural tendencies, our hearts and minds will always be occupied with something other than God. That’s why worship is essential and foundational to our lives as Christian women. When Jesus talked to the woman at the well in John 4, He gave her a description of worship that teaches us how to occupy our hearts and minds with God. Jesus said, “...true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
God is actively looking for women who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. When we worship in spirit, our hearts are involved. Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him…” God wants us to acknowledge Him...to notice Him, to be intentional about choosing to enjoy Him. He’s not interested in rote, mechanical ritual. He wants us to be real, to express authentic emotion and refuse to hide behind a pretense of spirituality. When we worship in truth, our minds are involved. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus.” God wants us to think like Jesus, who is the Truth. We worship in truth when our minds are immersed in His Word, when our thoughts are occupied with the realities of God taught in Scripture.
Worship is the occupation of our hearts and minds with God Himself. It is personally interacting with our Savior, cultivating a relationship, not repeating a ritual. Remember that God seeks our worship. Think of that - He wants a relationship with us! Worship is our response to His desire. Sometimes that will mean putting down the phone, shutting out our problems, turning down the music, and giving God our undivided attention. Sometimes it will mean doing our best to maintain an awareness of God that keeps us close to Him even when our attention has to be divided. Worship always means that we choose to make God the focus of our hearts and minds, the primary object of our emotions, and the principal subject of our thoughts.
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3
Wanda Mitchell was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and she came to the States to attend Maranatha Baptist University (MBBC then!). Wanda graduated with degree in elementary education. She has since been employed at Heritage Hall Christian School and Grace Baptist Church, Muncie, where she taught for 10 years and has been in elementary administration for 25 years.
Wanda enjoys teaching an adult women’s Sunday school class, as well as women’s Bible studies and elective classes
Her life’s motivation is I Samuel 12:24, Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things He hath done for you.
