I guess since I am writing about worship I should define the term worship.

These definitions will go from narrow and lacking some important parts to broad and accurate.  Feel free to comment on these definitions.

Most Narrow-

That feeling you get when you are singing your favorite worship songs to God.

Less Narrow- 

The Sunday Service.

Less Broad-

Any meeting with believers where the word is preached and songs are sung.

Most Broad-

Our lives, everything that we do is an act of worship.

Romans 12 talks about a life of worship where your body is offered as a living sacrifice in worship.  Basically everything that you do, everything that you are should be an offering of worship.  Worship is giving glory to God.  Proclaiming his greatness, his power, his majesty.  Everything that you do, if glory is given to God, is an act of worship.  And why shouldn’t everything we do give glory to God?  He is the creator of everything.  He is a sovereign God in control of everything.  Our worship of God should never cease, it should be a habit.  Now I am bummed right now cause I can’t find the verse reference I wanted to use for the habit of praise bit.  Well here is another that is just a good.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

I’ll try to find that verse for a later post.

The year is 1744.  Hymn writer Charles Wesley is in Leeds, England, holding a prayer meeting in an upstairs room.  Suddenly there is a creak in the floorboards, followed by a massive crack, and the whole floor collapses.  All 100 people crash right through the ceiling into the room below.  The place is in chaos–some are screaming, some are crying, some just sit in shock.  But as the dust settles, Wesley, wounded and lying in a heap, cries out, “FEAR NOT! The Lord is with us; our lives are all safe.”  And then he breaks out into the doxology: “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow”–perhaps a bizarre choice of song, considering what just happened!  But here is the point: While everyone else was still licking their wounds, the heart of this unstoppable worshipper was responding with unshakeable praise.

-Great Hymns and Their Stories by W.J. Limmer Sheppard

An unstoppable worshipper lets nothing hinder them in their quest to glorify God.  Their offerings of worship are just as vibrant outside of the church as inside.  Many times worshippers are met with opposition, things that hinder their worship.  David’s first public act of unstoppable worship came when he faced Goliath.  Israel was so afraid of Goliath that no one would face him even though he had dishonored the Lord’s name.  So in walks David, too small for a suit of armor and still just a boy.  Yet this passionate lover of God cannot stand anyone disgracing the army of God (or God).  He faced Goliath so “the whole world will know there is a God in Israel” ( 1 Samuel 17:46)  Anointed by God and driven by a passion for Him, David overcame Goliath.  Through this act David glorified God not only to Israel but to the Philistines and the world.  

Now our hinderances to worship may not be as blatant as David’s but we all have things that distract us from our quest to glorify God.  It may be busyness, TV, books, lack of time, (the less obvious) kids, family, church.  The devil can even use good things to derail our quest.  We must not let anything hinder us from glorifying God.  If we do not God will simply make the rocks cry out. (Luke 19:40)