“A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance”
– Ecclesiastes 3:4
(Scroll to the bottom to go directly to new playlists!)
My Call to Worship
Through every season of my life, hands down, worship was and is my greatest joy. It is where all of life’s unsolvable mysteries melt away, and I am free to bask in the glow of His love. When I was praying and asking God to confirm my holy ambition, it was no surprise to me that worship was one of the most important aspects of His answer to me:
“I exist to encourage and uplift the weary,
and to live a life of worship, whether in or out of pain.”
Worship is what my soul needs when I am in the valley; suffering and desperate for comfort. Worship is what my exploding heart feels on the mountaintop; overflowing with inexplainable joy that can only come from God. Worship is truly the soundtrack of my life and where my heart feels most free. Earlier this year, I shared a poem called, “Worship,” that truly captured the reason why God has made this practice so crucial to my daily life.
The God I Worship
I am currently studying Ecclesiastes (my Dad also just started preaching on Ecclesiastes in my home church, MCC. Check it out here!) and these verses in Chapter 3 always capture my attention. Life right now is uncertain, for everyone, and these passages cause me to slow down and consider there is a truly a time for everything. And to remember what a blessing it is that I intimately know the God who holds time in His hands! He knows, He cares, He is making it right…
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace…
He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
– Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11
Through my study, the deeper I dig, the more I see connections between Scriptures throughout the entire bible. It is a beautiful and exciting thing – some of my best spiritual memories of my childhood are those times when God would “connect the dots” and it would blow my mind! I don’t think it will ever stop blowing my mind! As I was looking for Scriptures about worship, I found an old favorite passage and knew I needed to include these verses as well.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.”
– Psalm 40:1-3
Why I Worship
A new song… it is difficult to describe this but I can attest to the fact that each new level God calls you to, He will also give you a new song on top of that mountain you just climbed. And that new song will forever be engraved on your heart; a reminder of God’s deliverance! My daughter knows it only takes about 5 seconds of worship for my tears to start flowing. Tears of pain, tears of joy, tears of a soul who has seen, up close and personal, the miracle of God bringing me out of a horrible pit, more than a few times… oh look it happened again, another supporting Scripture just came to mind!
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much.
But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
– Luke 7:47
God has forgiven my many sins – He has snatched me out of the claws of death, of abuse, of pain / shame / blame – this is why I worship! This is why I have a new song to sing, why the tears flow, why I lift my hands in praise – on the worst and on the best days. It is why I am opening up and sharing my life; trusting that even just one person will see and trust in His death-defying love; the only love that never fails.
So whether you are weeping or laughing today, I’ve got a playlist for you! These are songs I’ve been loving and I hope you enjoy! 💗 Thank you for listening, I would love to hear which songs are your favorites.
(More playlists – worship & mainstream – will be coming to my music section soon!)
Wow – Crystal so inspiring, encouraging and exhorting , God used perfectly in my life today – thank you !
Thank you so much, Dad ♥️ your encouragement and preaching / teaching, my whole life long, are a huge part of my spiritual growth. I appreciate you so much ♥️
I so agree! Worship in joy and pain is my baseline 🙌
Love the whole playlist but Mercy Me and Newsboys always take me back to time after time worship was there for me to connect with God when I needed it most! Egypt, Battle Belongs, Yes He Can are new favs 💕
Ohhh thank you, Mary! This comment made my morning – I agree with you about Mercy Me and Newsboys. Egypt is one of my new faves as well. I always think of you when listening to “One More Hallelujah” on the other playlist too. Thank you so much for sharing and encouraging me today ❤