Isaiah 29:13 “The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;”

I know I stopped the quote mid-sentence.  I thought about continuing on to verse 14 but I really felt like this was the verse of my focus so I stopped.  If it bothers you, feel free to pull out your bible and continue on in the reading of the word (wink, wink!).  This verse reminded me of the times I sit in church singing the songs and praying the prayers at the same time I am thinking about my plans for the afternoon or what I might be making for dinner.  Most of the prayers are easy to read, printed right there in the bulletin and the songs are usually pretty familiar too.  On occasion, I am able to set the many distractions aside and focus all my energy on true worship.  The songs we sing in church are prayers to God.  They praise and thank him, they petition and quote scripture.  We share concerns as a community, we pray for others far and near.  We break bread and share the cup in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation.  All these things can be done while planning the grocery list, quieting the children, running the little one to the bathroom, etc.  They can also be done in a truly worshipful way.  Allow the spirit of God to settle and remove the distractions from your worship.  Focus your energy and mind on the words and meanings of the prayers and songs sung in worship.  Allow the presence of God to do amazing things in you today.

Lord,

Bless our worship today.  I come to you looking for amazing things, knowing that you amaze me every day.  May my day be a day of praise and worship to you, I pray.  Amen.