I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
(Psalm 34:1 KJV)
We can always praise the Lord, when things are going well, but also when things aren’t going well (maybe even especially then)!
A while ago at church, someone shared a message on this topic. Then we sang songs of praise to God. And during this service, a thought came to mind, “Mirjam, you were made to worship Me”. I began to really think upon those words. Although worshiping God is so much more than just singing songs to Jesus (it’s also acting out God’s love and care for one another) the act of singing praise songs to God is a very powerful form of worship. We were made to worship!
A few years ago, during a period in my life of intense burnout, I purposely tried to sing to God through the trying season... Sometimes I simply praised Him. Other times I sang songs about my pain. I sang when the tears streamed down my cheeks. And in the moments when I couldn’t sing, my husband would turn on worship music and I would simply listen to the words wash over me. And although I was still cloaked in darkness, I felt a little lighter and God felt closer to me.
I'm no longer in a season of burnout, but some days I find motherhood quite challenging (okay, maybe more than sometimes). I don’t do it often enough, but there are moments that I praise God when I am overwhelmed. And when I've been intentional in praising God, something happens; I become calmer and this helps my daughter calm down. And God's presence is there with us.
I googled the scientific side of this. When you sing (or dance), two hormones are released in your body: endorphins and oxytocin. Endorphins work as a painkiller and give your body a feeling of happiness. Oxytocin brings down your blood pressure and reduces stress and anxiety. That's proof that we were created to worship Him, so when we do what we were created to do (worship), something positive literally happens in our bodies.
Thank you, Lord, for making us this way!
Author Note: Mirjam Blokland is a wife and mom and grew up as a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea. She now lives in the Netherlands and works as an artist for her own small business.
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