“Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water” (Exodus 23:25a).
Food and water. Common, everyday things. But this verse promises God’s blessing on them. In other words, even the mundane things of life can put smiles on our faces.
Mundane things like:
- The graceful dance of tree limbs in a soft breeze
- The tapping of rain on the roof, while cozied up in bed
- The spontaneous hug of a child
Such delightful gifts are embarrassingly easy to overlook. Most of us are much too busy and moving too fast.
So how do we take hold of these subtle blessings and treasure them? The first five words of the verse give the answer. It happens when we worship the Lord our God.
I’m not talking about the hour or two we may spend in church sometime on Saturday or Sunday.
Worship means expressing to God his worth—his worth-ship. And it’s something we can enjoy all day, every day.
Yes, I said “enjoy,” because worship should be celebratory.
One means of celebrating our God is to express appreciation. “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything,” Paul recommended (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
As we begin to notice and appreciate all the delights God has bestowed, we experience a contentment and steadiness of spirit that defies explanation. And to be contented and steady is a very blessed way to live!
Another means of celebrating our God is to express praise. Gratitude expresses appreciation for what he’s done in the past, what he’s doing in the present, and what he will do in the future. Praise expresses admiration for who he is and honors him for his glorious attributes.
Attributes like:
- Creativity, inspiring him to design tree branches that dance and sway in the breeze
- Loving kindness, expressed with pleasurable gifts like raindrops rapping on the rooftop
- Comfort, offered through the spontaneous hug of a child
As we begin to praise God for his attributes, we experience a change of perspective. Our attention moves from personal circumstances to God Almighty. He is:
- Glorious in the splendor of his majesty
- Capable of awesome works
- Abundant in his goodness and compassionate on all he has made
- Faithful to all his promises and righteous in all his ways
Interested in more descriptors? See Psalm 145!
Bottom line: When worship is an integral part of our lives, joy abounds, because God’s blessing rests upon us in all things!
“Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water” (Exodus 23:25a).
Such a simple exercise to implement; yet such astounding results.
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(Art & photo credits: http://www.lawlessgallery.com ; http://www.godwordistruth.wordpress.com ; http://www.lessonsinashell.blogspot.com )
From the Inside Out 
I am blessed by your blogs. ……..Thanks Tedi
Praise God! Thank YOU, Tedi, for being a faithful reader.
Just wanted to thank you for your comment on my post, “Love in the Dark.” Loved the firefly imagery.
You’re welcome, Danielle. The inspiration of your post, “Love in the Dark,” may result in a post here about fireflies! We’ll see where God leads.
Nancy your words are always so uplifting and inspirational. You help me pause, appreciate and be thankful!
Thank you, Jean. I could just as easily have typed that first sentence to YOU! I praise God for the words he gives me to type (no doubt you feel the same), and for uplifting, inspirational friends–like you!
Love this post Nancy, as always. God bless you and your writing.
This post has inspired me to look upwards! I tend to worry about both minute things and larger concerns that God is already taking care of behind the scenes. He is in control and does all of the hard work. All I have to do is give worries over to him and look upwards and appreciate nature, retirement, family, and friends…and THANK Him for these blessings. Just nature itself, the colors he painted our world with which cannot be duplicated by man… I am thankful and praise Him for this! I am blessed. Great post, Nancy! Another good reminder of how to enhance my spiritual life!
Love your comment: “He is in control and does all of the hard work.” Sometimes when the to-do list gets long , I think I’m doing the hard work! HA! In the writing of these posts is also the reminding–to myself. I’m working on gratitude and praise as my constant fall back position, in between those tasks that require full attention. Blessings abound for which to be thankful! Thank you, Cheri, for your insights.