The Essential Place of Worship in a Believer’s Life

The prophet Jeremiah writing in Lamentations 3:41 exhorts us to lift up our hearts and our hands to the Lord in worship. Indeed, He is worthy of all our heartfelt praise.

Our relationship with the Lord is multi-dimensional, meaning simply that growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ involves a number of different activities. Obviously, those activities include reading the Word of God, prayer and regular church attendance (even in seasons when it has to be online!).

Another activity that is essential to a growing walk and relationship with the Lord is worship. At RMCC we place a strong emphasis on the role of worship in our services and in our lives as believers. As Pastor Glen exhorted the church some time ago, worship is not ‘fill.’ Worship is an enormous get-to!!

As a fellowship, we at RMCC are tremendously blessed with individuals who are both gifted in worship, but are also very committed to their own relationship with Jesus, including using their gifts to help others to know and love the Lord. We are blessed!

Please join me in praying for our worship ministry including RMCC’s worship coordinator Kristy Kowalczyk, who gives Holy Spirit-inspired leadership to this ministry, and the many people who serve in this ministry.

Kristy also sees worship as a great get-to and offers her own perspective:

“I’ve learned that worship is a decision and it’s not always easy. Sometimes music is so amazing, I cannot contain my tears. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I am worshipping. On the contrary, if a singer is off tune, or the rhythms aren’t together, my worship doesn’t need to be hindered. Or if I am not in the mood to worship, even then I can will my heart and mind to praise Him and give glory where glory is due.

“When I worship, truly worship, my mind and heart are in a place of surrender. In those times, I can say it is well. It often seems that my survival depends on my surrender to Jesus. Music reaches into the depths of my soul. It is how I’m wired. The notes, the melodies and harmonies, the treble and the bass, the entire orchestra move into my being, touching everything it passes.

“It is in those times that I can choose to let my worries go and turn it all back towards Him. As my intellect chooses to worship, my heart heeds and sends out a hundred worries attached like magnets to the words and melodies, leaving my lips and falling straight into the arms of my great big God. All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Him I freely give. As I lift my hands, it is a gesture of praise and surrender including the surrender of all my worries and concerns.”

Kristy’s vision going forward in the worship ministry is to help believers respond to God and the truth of His Word with authentic praise and worship. To quote Kristy, who is inspired by what is written in Exodus 31¹,

“I love to design the artistic works He’s filled me with in wisdom, understanding, knowledge and in all manner of workmanship to bring people into a place of authentic praise, worship, and surrender. It is an honour if God can use me this way.”

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15, NKJV).

Written by Pastor Bruce Daze

¹“And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.” Exodus 31:3-5