Can you believe we are at the start of another new year?? Like many of you, this morning I opened my brand-new planner, complete with fresh, clean pages ready to be filled with my daily to-do lists and appointments. I started this method last year of sitting down on Monday mornings and planning out my week, yet not to be so rigid that a cross-out or a carry-over wasn’t allowed. Lol.
I don’t know about you, but I find freedom in to-do lists. It empties my mind of carrying the week in my head and facilitates my activities satisfyingly. After all, who doesn’t like to tick items off a to-do list?
In the Old Testament, the Lord gave the Israelites a “to-do list” called the Law of Offerings. “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.” Numbers 28:1-2 The appointed times for some of these offerings were daily, morning and night. Some of the offerings were to be given seasonally. Others, during certain feasts. And still others offered rest as a feature of the offering.
Did you notice how the Lord referred to the Israelites' offerings as a “soothing aroma” to Him? The Law of Offerings established a means of connection with God not only throughout the year, but throughout the day. The Lord desired to be in relationship with His people - “a soothing aroma”. The aroma signified that God accepted the sacrifice and was pleased with the act, bringing peace and satisfaction to the relationship between God and the worshipper. More important than the physical smell was the heart posture behind the offering—obedience, love, and dedication to God.
Some might look at laws as binding, living in bondage to rules and regulations. It could turn into that if we aren’t careful, BUT when the Lord built a practice of worship into the Israelites' daily routine, He was actually setting them free. It allowed them to worship God by staying focused on Him, empowering the Lord to facilitate their obedience.
We may be New Testament Christians now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the Old Testament, OR that it makes it null and void. We may not have the requirement of a “Law of Offerings” complete with animal sacrifice, BUT what we do have is a call to worship God throughout our day.
What does that daily worship look like? Let’s take a look at five ways we can incorporate worship into the ebb and flow of our days.
Photo credit: ©Getty/Cn0ra
Worshipful Prayer
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" Psalm 95:6
Recently, I was convicted about my prayer life. I’ve always felt guilty if I didn’t set aside time to pray every day, but what I recently realized was that those prayers were me rattling off MY “God-do list” to Him. I wasn’t spending time connecting with God; I was giving Him tasks that I wanted Him to complete.
Our verse above provides us with a posture for approaching the Lord in prayer. This is not to say that we become legalistic in how we pray or that we can’t cry out to the Lord in a moment of crisis or that we can’t talk to God throughout the day, but what this verse reminds us of is WHO God is and our heart’s motive when we come before Him.
When we cry out to the Lord in a crisis, we acknowledge that He is sovereign and relinquish control, depending on Him. That is worship. Spending our day communicating with the Lord, as we would talk to a Friend, is indeed spiritual worship. By desiring His company and His presence, we are worshipping Him.
Of course, there is a time we should set aside in our day for formal worshipful prayer. Coming before the Lord in complete worship, acknowledging who He is and all that He has done. In complete reverence and awe, every time, soaking up the Glory of the Lord. After which, you present your requests to God. By praying in this manner, you will find your faith strengthened and your prayers emboldened because you have put God in His rightful place, not as jolly old Santa receiving your Christmas wishlist, but as the God of the Universe, who is in control of all things and who loves you with an everlasting love.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/tommaso79
Time in the Scriptures
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16
Having an understanding of all that the Scriptures represent to us is paramount to approaching our time in the Word in a posture of worship. Our verse reminds us that the Scriptures aren’t just something we pick up and then put down again, but are a message from Christ that is meant to be absorbed, transformational, carried with us, and shared.
Indeed, when we DWELL in God’s Word, we are actively seeking Him and communing with Him, an actual act of worship. It’s interesting because the Word dwells in this instance means to ponder or meditate, but the other definition of dwell could also apply - “residing, abiding, or making one's permanent home”.
When we dwell in the Scriptures, whether through meditation or abiding in them, we are indeed worshipping through the Word. Coming to your Bible time in a spirit of worship
will be so much more impactful than coming to it as something to “tick off your spiritual to-do list”.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/tommaso79
Singing Praises to the Lord
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs!" Psalm 100:1-2
Years ago, I read a book called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. The premise was to endeavor to record every day of the year, everything for which you are grateful. By the end of the year, the author found that she had discovered “1000 gifts”. As she walks you through this process, the author shows you that something as simple as a bird singing outside of your window that brought a smile to your face is something to be grateful for, a gift from God.
When we have a heart of gratitude to the Lord, we have a heart of worship. Those of us who tend to complain (sadly, my hand is raised) are not at all in a heart posture of prayer. If, instead, we set out this new year to keep a gratitude journal of all the gifts the Lord provides for us throughout our day, we would find that this practice would turn our grumbling into gratefulness and our hearts toward worship.
And, of course, the most obvious way to lead your heart in worship is to sing praises to Him literally. Turn on your radio, listen to worship music, and sing to the Lord. You will find your mood shifting as you focus on giving God all the Glory in prayer.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/RonTech2000
Being Still before Him
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
It’s fascinating to me how, from the beginning, when God created the world, He built rest into the fabric of humanity. Not just suggested it, but commanded it. The Sabbath command from the Old Testament instructs you to cease from work on the Sabbath to honor God and worship Him.
We are still called to set aside a day of rest, a time to rejuvenate so that we are better able to serve God. After all, “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Now that’s worship!
A time of being still before the Lord doesn’t have to be restricted to one day. Every day, you can set aside time to sit before the Lord in stillness and worship Him. You can meditate upon the names of God. Reflect upon those many times in the
past He has been faithful to you, OR recall from the Bible those stories that describe His faithfulness. You can meditate upon a verse that stuck out to you this past week. Or sit in communion with Him. All of these means of stillness are acts of worship and will enrich your relationship with the Lord.
Photo credit: © Getty Images/Polina Panna
Sacrificial Service
“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16
So far, we’ve looked at very personal ways to worship the Lord. Ways that are known only to us in some respects. But there are ways that we can worship that are outward in appearance and will bring Glory to God.
Any opportunity to do good to another or to share what you have with them is a means of spiritual worship when your heart posture is to bring Glory to God, not to make yourself look good.
What does this type of sacrifice look like? “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or when did we need clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40
When we engage in this type of service, we are worshipping God by serving others.
Today’s world offers us many opportunities to worship in this way. I always say that our homes are the training ground for sacrificial service. When we incorporate this type of worship into our daily lives with our families, how much easier will it be to serve others outside of our homes?
The next time you feel the Lord tugging at your heart to do good or to share what you have, do not neglect that feeling, but remember this as an opportunity to worship God.
Dear Heavenly Father, may you create in us a heart posture of worship throughout our day, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
How will you incorporate worship into your daily routine?
If there is an area of worship that doesn’t come easily to you, what can you do to change that?
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/AaronAmat
Originally published Tuesday, 06 January 2026.
