I just returned from an intense rain-soaked week of training camp for my World Race mission trip.
About 6 months ago I made the decision (or should I say God made the decision for me) to go on the World Race. At the time of my decision, I felt God telling me to praise and worship Him for this season. Don’t worry about anything else, just praise Me, so I obeyed. It shifted the way I talked to God. I have been so caught up with talking, asking, and wanting things from my Father God that I have forgotten who He really is; He is not only my Daddy, but my God, my King, my Savior; He is literally all that I have. If He really is everything to me, he deserves relentless praise and worship. This is something I started to fundamentally realize for the first time in my life.
A number kept coming to my mind night after night while praying with God. The number was 95. I realized for this season, God wanted 95% of my prayer time spent praising and worshiping Him, so I have obeyed. After all, God is enthroned on our praises, “You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
It has been about 6 months since I have shifted how I spend my time with God. I have had doubts lately if I randomly thought this up in my head. Or, even if my praises and worship have been glorifying him the way I think and hope they are. I haven’t seen anything change radically around me, or even heard from God except once or twice within the last 6 months, so doubt crept in. I didn’t have to wait long for my doubts to be answered.
God answered all of my questions during training camp!
Throughout training camp, I had many instances where God spoke to me in numerous ways. Ways I have never experienced before! God kept pouring out his love and reassurance on me. He kept telling me how much of a Proud Father He is when he looks at me. I’m not one to cry much, but every time I felt the deep loving pride He has for me as His son, it took me to my knees in a beautiful cry.
Although I had numerous accounts where God spoke to me in different ways throughout the week, the one instance that put all of my doubts to rest was during our last worship night. Worship was awesome! During an intense worship service, this man would come up throughout the night and speak over different individuals, I ended up being one of them. Although I can’t remember all that he said, what I do remember (and can’t forget) is when he told me that everything that I’m doing and experiencing this week supernaturally is all because of my relentless praise and worship of my Father. Wow that hit me like a ton of bricks! God literally just answered the questions my heart had been wondering about! After those words were spoken over me, the amazing peace and joy I had doubled immediately!
What I learned this past week is that God is enthroned on our praises. He longs for a close personal relationship with us and our praise and worship of Him is the most beautiful thing we can do. After all, as our Creator God and Savior he’s worthy of our nonstop praise.
