It’s easy to get stuck in a spiritual rut. I know, because my entire life as a believer I’ve either been growing closer to God or slowly fading away.
Sometimes, the best way to break out of a rut is to get out of my comfort zone and explore a new facet of what it means to worship God. We serve a creative God, and He calls us to worship Him with all we are, including the creativity He’s given us. Thus, the joy of creative worship.
If you’re looking for ways to engage in creative worship, you’ve come to the right place.
The Bible tells us that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Our connection with God comes not from WHAT we do in worship but rather HOW we do it. We can read 10 chapters of the Bible and our hearts still be far from God, or we can wash our car in the driveway and have a wonderful time of fellowship with Him.
I love this quote about a lifestyle of worship:
If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’
Martin Luther King Jr.
Whether you sing a hymn or wash dishes is not as important as whether or not your heart is tuned in to the presence of God. As humans, we have the unique privilege to worship God with our entire beings, heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let’s learn to do so well.
A great translation of the Old Testament word for worship is “to bow or kneel before.” In ancient times, people would kneel before royalty and nobility, acknowledging the master’s supremacy over them. Even though we don’t bow before people in modern times, we can adopt this posture of submission before God in day-to-day life.
Here are a few ideas of how to bow before God:
You’ll find even more ideas of how to bow you life in worship to God in Linda Dillow’s book, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul. (See more recommended resources below).
As you learn to bow your entire life in worship, you’ll realize that creative worship means your entire life becomes a living sacrifice to God, holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1).
I’ve long been fascinated by learning styles. One student learns best by seeing a drawing while another student prefers listening to a presentation or getting her hands dirty. Any teacher worth her keep knows that no one style is better than another, and does her best to incorporate a variety of learning activities in the classroom.
And it’s not just learning styles. We have different personality types too! We’ve got introverts and extroverts, thinkers and feelers, outdoorsy-people and indoor-people. I could go on and on. The point is that God made us all different…. and that’s a good thing!
So why not apply the same concept to worship styles? (Try this worship style assesment.)
If you’re a visual learner, look for visual ways to engage in worship like doodling your Bible reading or writing your prayers in a journal.
If you’re an auditory learner, try praising God from A-Z or singing even when you don’t feel like it.
If you’re a night owl, learn how to meet with God when you’re not a morning person.
And if you’re slightly attention-deficit, hit the jogging trail with Jesus or sketchnote next Sunday’s sermon.
Try adopting different body postures before Him, bowing your face to the ground before the Holy One of God, lifting up your palms before the Lord of Lords, and dancing with songs of celebration to the King of Kings.
Engage your senses in worship as well, lighting a scented candle reserved for just your private times of worship with the Great High Priest, praising the Creator as you walk through nature, or fasting from certain foods as you feast on the Bread of Life.
Want more? Here’s over 120 Ways to Creatively Connect with God.
If you want to go deeper you’re stuck in a rut in your relationship with God, perhaps it’s time to explore new ways of worshipping Him. Below are some ideas to get you started:
Below I’ve included some resources that have helped me expand my understanding of worship:
Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, by Linda Dillow
Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God, by Gary Thomas
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, by Richard Foster
Printable Scripture Art Calendar, by Flaviu Ciuciu (my husband!)
And here are some blog posts from the archives on the topic of creative worship:
An Exercise in Practicing the Presence of God
A Glimpse Inside My Prayer Journal
How to Take Your Thankfulness to the Next Level
A Prayer for Stillness When Life Is Rushed
How to Pray When You Don’t Know Where to Start
When Your Praising Is a Bit Off-Key
How Diagramming Bible Verses Can Help Illuminate Scripture
How to Study the Bible Using the SOAP Method
Photo credit: Hannah Busing/Unsplash
Contrary to popular belief, God did not create us all to worship Him the same way. We’re different not just in our physical appearance and spiritual giftedness but also in the way we connect with God. And it’s a beautiful thing. One body, many parts, right? So stop trying to mimic someone else’s spiritual walk and discover the way God crated YOU to connect with Him.
Your worship journey will be as rich, deep, and varied as you desire it to be. Start developing a creative worship experience in your life!
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