Five Suggestions for Enhancing Your Worship

Some of the sweetest, most memorable moments of our lives are when we are worshiping
God. To the Christian the worship experience is special and sacred, to be longed for, cherished and
remembered. If you haven’t been feeling that way about your times of worshiping God, consider
the following suggestions which may help in enhancing your worship to the fullest.
First, remember that worship is both an action and a state of mind. It involves doing the
proper or authorized, God-ordained act, with a reverential, respectable attitude. Too many times
Christians come to worship with cares and concerns on their mind. They are tired, distracted—
thinking about something else. Worshiping God when we are tired is like trying to have a
conversation with a loved one when we are worn out. It usually doesn’t go well. How would you
like for one of your children to approach you on an important subject, only to be distracted, their
mind wondering, maybe constantly looking at their phone or talking with someone else? Think
how God must feel when His children come before him without focus, without concern for what
they are doing, and giving Him only half-hearted attention. Try getting a little more rest before
worship. Spend a few minutes contemplating the upcoming service, maybe pondering the sermon
title and Scripture reading. Think about what you are about to do! That way you can focus your
attention on it when the moment comes.
Second, arrive a bit early. Remember that worship is the most important thing you have to
do. It’s more important than a wedding or a funeral, yet who would arrive at the last minute for
those? We need to recognize that we are showing respect for God and for others by not coming in
late. But further, we are giving ourselves time to get settled, get focused, and get the full impact
of the worship events. Missing the first part of any worship service, class, or other important event
places us at an immediate disadvantage and makes it difficult to grasp the overall theme and
importance of the occasion.
Third, minimize distractions. Use the restroom before entering the auditorium for worship.
Take care of that text or phone call in advance and then turn off or silence your phone. If possible,
sit more toward the front, so that you see and hear less distracting activity in the audience, and
more of the worship leaders. The human brain cannot entertain two thoughts at once. When
distractions occur, they take us off task. They distract from an orderly and beneficial absorption of
the theme, both by ourselves and by others.
Fourth, bring your Bible and a way to take notes on the sermon or lesson. Physically turn
to the passages referenced and read them. Taking notes reinforces the message in our minds, makes
it more memorable, and keeps us focused during worship. Review those notes a day or two later.
Maybe rewrite or type them up. And don’t let a computer do it for you! The whole idea is to plant
the ideas firmly in your mind so that they can be a remembered and applied in daily life.
Fifth, remember that meaningful worship is work. It requires our best effort, our utmost
investment of time and energy. As a general rule, we will “get out of” the worship service just
about what we “put into” the worship service. If we are not getting anything out of it, we need to
examine ourselves and consider seriously what we are putting into it.
God deserves our very best in worship. And He has ordained certain avenues for
approaching Him in an acceptable manner. Intentionally and carefully practicing these should be
satisfying and fulfilling to us all. Hopefully, these suggestions will assist us in making the most of
the amazing privilege of approaching the God of the universe in meaningful worship.