Going Through the Motions
Like many people, my worship practice has looked a bit eclectic over the years. During my time in a private religious elementary school, followed by middle school youth group activities, worship was just part of the deal. Part of the program. I walked through all those motions according to the instructions and didn’t develop much of an authentic foundation. During my teenage period of angst and defiance, I didn’t want to go to church or participate in much of anything. That lack of worship carried on into my 20’s. I would openly proclaim my faith in our Lord when the subject came up, but that was the extent of my effort. I wasn’t doing much of anything to intentionally draw closer to Him. My relationship with God was not a priority; I was too busy enjoying college, starting my career, and doing a million other “more important” things. He was at the bottom of my proverbial totem pole.
It’s certainly no coincidence that my deepest struggles occurred during this period in my life. Finally, as I stumbled off that wayward path and into His light, I began to experience the revival I truly needed. His work in me came in the form of commitment, devotion, and perseverance that radically changed my worship experience. And, once I found a true, spiritual worship routine, I began to see fruit.
In reading about spiritual worship, I was drawn to several sermons by Charles Spurgeon, particularly “The Axe at the Root”. I encourage you to read his thoughts…he dives deep into the process of worship and the role it plays in the lives of believers. The scripture Spurgeon focuses on is John 4:23-24: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (ESV) Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman in this chapter and toward the end of their conversation, He touches on the evolution of worship. Jesus’s arrival to earth ushered in a lot of changes, including how we are called to worship. People struggled with the change; many were married to their check list of rituals. So many times, in the Old Testament, we see people performing acts such as building altars and making sacrifices. With Jesus, true worship is about the Spirit’s inner work in the believer.
This concept is difficult for people to grasp because it asks us to release our love of tangible lists. It’s easy to say we completed a set of tasks; it’s straight forward and concrete. But what God is truly calling us to do here is more difficult, more abstract. God doesn’t want us to stand on one foot and recite scripture while cartwheeling through a flaming hoop. He’s more interested in the inner work than the outer display of reverence.
True spiritual worship is all about the internal, not the external. And truth be told, it’s tough work sometimes! To truly gain the full revival of God’s work within us, we’ve got to put in the work as well. Some of us need to work on our faithfulness, while others lack patience. Self-control, peace, generosity…these fruits don’t just grow over night. They take time and we should be constantly working to cultivate them during all aspects of our worship. Whether we are singing our favorite hymns or knee-deep in His word, we should all be constantly engaging with what the Spirit’s is trying to do within us. If we expect Him to work in us, we need to work on us, too. It’s not always easy, but this type of work is always worth it.
I’m not going to lie, it took me a long time to find my worship “niche” and it all revolves around a routine of music, Bible study, fellowship, and Sunday service. Once I found my personal routine, I started leaving each experience rested, renewed, and revived for whatever this fallen world brought my way. I am eternally grateful for those years I spent stumbling; without them, I never would have found my niche. God led me through the valleys so I could get to the right mountain top. His mountain top. Will this world throw curve balls at me that are worse? Absolutely. But I am strong in Him. I know for a fact that I will never face anything more difficult than that period away from Him. I could never possibly claim spiritual perfection, but through my faith in Him, I know He will always revive me during my time on earth. And this true revival can only come after finding what it means to worship in Spirit and in truth.
Catherine (Cat) Garner was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Nevada when she was 10. She grew up in the Las Vegas community, then earned her BA in English and Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno and her teaching credential from UNLV. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught, coached, mentored, #allthethings in public schools for over a decade. She also walks in a variety of school-related roles outside the classroom such as writing curriculum and teaching professional development classes. Her husband, Ryan, is a CPA and they have one son, Jack, and a fur-daughter, Emma. She loves worship music, shoes, a good book, Precepts Bible studies, soccer, making silly TikToks, Sally Clarkson, house plants, and yoga.