What does it mean to worship God? Does it mean congregating in a church building, facing a pulpit with a large wooden cross on the wall behind it? Is it the act of singing and praising the Lord with fellow believers? Does it only happen when you feel spiritually full or in the process of being filled? Can real worship happen when you are feeling overwhelmed with life’s struggles or feeling defeated? 

I grew up the daughter of church planters. There were plenty of services when it was just my family and one or two other adults in attendance; maybe a few kids as well. Does worship happen when attendance is so low? The answer to that and the questions above is up to you and what the Holy Spirit is doing. 

I have sat in church when tears glazed and blurred my eyesight, my heart swelling with the wondrous gift of God’s presence. I’ve also sat in church when I felt as cold and hard as a stone. The same could be said about times of personal devotions at home. 

Jacob woke up from his ladder dream with a God-awareness he’d never known up to that point in his life. He hadn’t been expecting God to speak to him. His actions had successfully driven a deep, hurtful wedge between his own family members. He was displaced. God knew his human condition, yet He had His own plan for the young man. Jacob immediately spoke out loud, voicing the surprise and awe he felt. He had no human witnesses, but that wasn’t important. He saw himself in relation to the God of heaven and that was enough to worship right there. He then determined how he would live his life going forward. 

We need the Lord to arrest our thoughts and hearts sometimes. It may happen in church. It may happen out in a desolate field or while we sleep. What is important is the fact that God is speaking, and that I am receiving and allowing Him to change me.