Praise and Worship and Marriage

We worship God in many ways.  My favorite way to lift up my thanks and love to Him is through praise and worship music. I’ve had some struggles with it in the past, though; especially when I wasn’t part of the praise and worship team of whatever church I attended.  As a musician, I focused on the actual music or performance when I didn’t play in the praise band.  My selfish thoughts and desires often got in the way of the worship. At times, I forgot the importance of singing God’s praises to Him. We all have roadblocks that can hinder our praise and worship.

I’ve also heard others talk about how the praise and worship music deeply touches them. They believe God speaks to them through it, or they receive a feeling of peace and joy.  Many go to church looking for that Sunday “high” they get from praise and worship.  Yes, I believe God presents Himself to us, but there is also an artificial exhilaration that comes from the music and the atmosphere of the people. We have to know the difference.

Praise and worship music was not meant for our indulgence.  We can receive from God through it, but that should not be our ultimate desire.  Too often, people go into it expecting to get something out of it.  That’s become their main goal for praise and worship.

As I sat back one day in church recently, taking in the praise and worship music, I envisioned what it must sound like from God’s point of view.  The music was magnificent and the sincerity of love and gratitude filled the air.  I knew God was smiling as He looked down at this worshipping multitude.  It was all meant for Him.

One thing about God, He wants to be praised and worshipped.  That’s how we show our appreciation for all He does for us.  As I envisioned God’s pleasure over the music that filled the air, He quietly showed me how all this correlated to marriage.

Most of us go into marriage with thoughts of  “What will I get out of this?”  We want to receive and take and have wonderful, warm feelings – like many people look for while praising and worshipping God.  Our selfish thoughts and desires get in the way and quickly tarnish this amazing gift of marriage.

We gauge the success of our experience on our feelings and how we will benefit from it.

Like praise and worship music, our marriage should be all for God.  If it’s not, we are missing out on the blessings of marriage as God intended for us.  How He must delight in those who keep Him in the center of their marriage.

God intended for us to keep our eyes focused on Him as we deal with the day-to-day practice of marriage. (And practice it takes.  After 31 years of marriage, I still don’t have it perfected!)  We need Him in all we do, especially marriage.  We need to remain selfless.  We need to go into marriage not looking at what we can take from it, but what can we put into it to make it the best offering that we could lift up to God.  He savors our righteousness as He does our worship to Him.

Marriage is meant to be a holy, sacred union between a man and a woman. In Ephesians 5, Paul talks about the husband loving the wife as Christ loved the church.

Ephesians 5:25-27  “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

For a husband to truly be the “head” of the household, he must follow these guidelines in Ephesians.  Then, his wife will be filled with so much love and adoration for him that she can respect him and put his needs ahead of her own.  This is what makes a healthy marriage worthy of God’s blessings.

How God must smile down on His creation when He witnesses the marriage relationship He intended.  That is true worship!