Isn’t It Supposed To Be Easy: Worship

What to do when worship feels hard

Have you ever noticed how quickly we assume that HARD means WRONG….

The moment life gets difficult.

The moment prayers go unanswered

The moment relationships get complicated

The moment pressure rises….

WHATS WRONG, as if we think… Isn’t this supposed to be EASY

We quietly think this about marriage, and parenting, about work and faith and friendship and…WORSHIP

Because somewhere we bought into the idea that if God is in it…. Then it should be effortless

But what if easy isn’t the problem… what if its our obsession with COMFORT that is keeping us from Gods best…

**Difficult is not always destruction…. Sometimes its development**

**The cross proves hard and HOLY can exist at the same time**

Hebrews 12:1–3

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Let us run WITH ENDURANCE…. Anything that takes endurance…. Isn’t going to be easy,

And we have to learn to WORSHIP even when it feels hard.

There is a lie that we have been fed:

“Worship is supposed to FEEL natural and EASY”

The truth

Worship is a CHOICE before it is ever a FEELING

1.) Worship is NOT a Mood… its a RESPONSE to WHO HE IS

It’s not a feeling, it’s not a REACTION….its a RESPONSE to WHO HE IS….

Hebrews 12 is full of hardship, ,discipline, endurance, suffering, shaking…. And somehow it ends with this

Hebrews 12:28

“28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

Worship is not built on our life being easy…rather on CHRIST BEING KING!!!

This is foundational thought on how we approach our time of worship and our life of worship, if our worship is rooted in the comfort of our life, when life is HARD worship will be absent.

But if it is ROOTED in the truth of Gods word and based on the LORDSHIP of CHRIST

-it survives PRISON CELLS

-it changes hospital rooms

-it overcomes disappointments

-and stays when the prayer is delayed

-it changes an empty auditorium into the sanctuary of the LIVING GOD

2.) Worship is SACRIFICE

We have rooted this word almost entirely into a genre on Apple Music or Spotify.

“Play me worship music”

But scripturally worship was an act.. it was a lifestyle… it had sacrifice and grit associated with it…

Romans 12:1

“12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

The song may be great… but it is our posture that turns it to worship…

Worship all throughout scripture was always costly… its not about what you RECEIVE but rather what YOU RELEASE

That is why it was done at the ALTAR…

David as he was preparing an ALTAR for the Lord was buying land and said

2 Samuel 24:24

“24 But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.”

I will NOT OFFER MY LORD that which cost me NOTHING

Worship isn’t supposed to be easy… so if it feels like a discipline… know its powerful, if it cost you everything, know its changing everything…

Worship that cost….lasts…

3.) Worship when its not easy

If you have lived very much life at all you know that at times… life simply feels HARD… that’s an invitation to WORSHIP

I am reminded of Paul and Silas in Prison

Acts 16:22–26

“22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

They had been beaten, and chained, and falsely accused, and put in prison.. and THEY WORSHIPPED…. Not hoping for a response…. As a response… to WHO GOD IS

They didn’t worship after FREEDOM

they worshipped before their breakthrough

They didn’t make a deal with God… get me out of this jam and I’ll do whatever…

They worshipped HIM because He was the same, even though their circumstances were not… they worshipped him because HE STILL was on the throne while they were in prison…

THE BLESSED GOD even in their brokenness

Because worship isn’t supposed top be easy… but it’s ALWAYS POWERFUL… and it ALWAYS CHANGES THINGS….

CLOSE:

I invite you to prepare for some extra “worship” today.. you might know the songs you might not… you might need to be at the altar today, you might need to stay seated.. but I know this… we all need to make the decision to WORSHIP… even when its hard.. that we all need to BLESS THE LORD… even with the world is BROKEN

PRAY.