How to Worship When You Don’t Feel Like It

It was one of those days.

I was feeling kind of grumpy and I was not in a good place spiritually. So, in an attempt to combat the funk that I was in I decided to do something that I don’t often do.

I danced.

Yes, you read that right, I danced. It was not just any ordinary dance, and no it wasn’t my awesome moves that made this dance so special. It was unique because I was dancing to give praise to God. I turned on some music and put my focus on the King, instead of on myself and all my menial issues.

That, my dear reader, was one of the best decisions I have ever made! I danced my heart out praising the great “I am” with all I had and I held nothing back. I allowed myself to just be in God’s presence.

Now, I really didn’t feel like dancing and I honestly didn’t really feel like praising God either. I had to actually make that conscious choice to praise Him. Even when we don’t feel like it, we need to praise God.

We need to praise Him in the storm, in the valley, and in the hurt. We may not want to or feel like it, but it is so crucial that we do. We tend to only praise God when life is going our way and it is easy to send off that quick “thank you” prayer, but when troubles come we often complain and sulk.

2 Corinthians 6:10 says, “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…” and Philippians 4:4 adds, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” Clearly God commands us to rejoice in our trials (James 1:2-3), not because of them, but because they (the trials) are crafting us into the people that God wants us to be.

Instead of complaining and sulking we need to lay our worries at His feet, and ask Him to give us a heart change. It may not be easy, but when you focus on God and all of His glory, it is kind of hard to stay in that place of ingratitude, sadness, anger, frustration… etc.

Here are some tips that I have found helpful when I am having a hard time worshiping God.

1. Be honest with Him

Pray and let Him know about the dullness of your heart. Ask Him to help you worship, and that He will work in your heart and enable you to feel joy, awestruck wonder, and longing for His presence.

2. Trust that He will change you

Look to God, and expect to be changed. Don’t focus on all the problems and frustrations of today, but instead turn to God with faith and trust that He will meet you, and change you into the person that He wants you to be.

3. Cling to truth

Tune your heart to the truth of God’s Word, and the promises found in Scripture. What does He promise, might you ask? He promises that…

• When we seek Him with all our hearts we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
• When we come to Jesus our thirst will be satisfied (John 6:35).
• When we pray He will answer us (Psalm 34:15,17).

Remember to praise God for all that He is, and instead of focusing on the problems of life, focus on His awe-striking beauty, grace, and unwavering love for you.

When you praise God and lose yourself in His presence (even when you don’t feel like it) you will find that your worries, fears, and whatever might be hindering you from seeing His glory will slowly fade away like fog in the early morning. This will enable you to see the power and majesty of the King for all that He is.

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