What an interesting perspective on what true worship and conversion means and how we can develop that in our own lives.
Like many people, I first learned about worship from my mother. When I was a small child, she taught me about God—that He was my Heavenly Father and that He loved me. Almost as soon as I could talk, Mom taught me that I could kneel, close my eyes, and talk to Him as if He were there, and she promised that He would hear me. God seemed very real to me then, but as I grew older the world and other concerns often got in the way. Sometimes my prayers become rote, offered out of habit and obligation. But at other times, especially in times of great need or deep gratitude, my worship is more heartfelt.
One day while visiting the Old City of Jerusalem, I saw an older Jewish woman deep in prayer at the Western Wall. She was so focused on what she was doing that she seemed oblivious to the crowds surging around her. God was obviously very real and very present to her in that moment. While I can feel close to the Lord in a holy place like the temple or at a sacred time like Christmas or Easter morning, I realized that I needed to “create space for worship” wherever and whenever I was.
True worship is like an iceberg.
While our words and actions appear above the surface, we add depth to our devotion when we pour our hearts and souls into our prayers, ordinances, scripture study, and music. We need to feel like the Lord is present when we pray, study or sing, and to do this we need to make every place and every time we worship sacred.
Lead image from Getty Images.
For more from this author, read Worship: Adding Depth to Your Devotion, available at Deseret Book.
In this engaging and thoughtful book interlaced with poignant personal experiences, Latter-day Saint author Eric D. Huntsman explores how worship works—what it is about our acts of devotion that can connect us to the divine and the eternal. You will find perceptive, thought-provoking answers to these questions and more.