Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Why Worship? As the worship leader for a high school youth group, I am often confronted with the question, "How do you get students to engage in worship?" This is a question that will eventually be asked by the leadership of any church worship service, regardless of the age demographic. However, when dealing with a group of typically apathetic teenagers, it is a question that gets raised far more often. And it is a question that I can really only answer by asking myself, "How and why do I engage in worship?" However, upon closer examination, one realizes that whether or not someone is engaged in worship is not the root issue, but a symptom of something much deeper. Because when I ask myself how and why I engage in worship, the answer seems simple. I realize the work that the Lord has done and is doing in my life, the sacrifice that it took, and I have a basic understanding (however limited it may be) of who God is and how great His love is for me. So worship is a natural response-a symptom of a heart connected with God. And so the questions turn back to the high school students. Do they know who God is and what He has done for them? Have they experienced the working of the Lord in their life? Are they connected to God? And now, asking why students are not engaged in worship does not seem like the appropriate question to ask. So for us, if our worship before the Lord is suffering, it may be a symptom of a deeper problem...because I would hope that having a bad day or being tired would not change our understanding of God's greatness. Instead, our time of worship should be our relief from the stress of our day or week as we refocus on the Lord, His love for us, and the greatness of what He has done. -Dustin Hecocks, Worship Leader, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale If our worship before the Lord is suffering, it may be a symptom of a deeper problem...because I would hope that having a bad day or being tired would not change our understanding of God's greatness. Instead, our time of worship should be our relief from the stress of our day or week as we refocus on the Lord, His love for us, and the greatness of what He has done. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?