Captured.

I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, To You, O LORD, I will sing praises. (Psalms 101:1 NASB)

"I will sing of LOVINGKINDNESS and JUSTICE...I will SING PRAISES."

Sometimes I need to be reminded that God is indeed just and loving and worthy of praise. Worship is what I was made for and anything less than that simply does not satisfy. I don't want to live in a constant state of dissatisfaction, pursuing things that are not ultimate. Lately, I've been seeking this in social media and television and - not at all surprisingly - they have left me feeling exhausted and empty. Why? Because my heart longs to be satisfied with the Living Water. My heart was specifically designed to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and when I seek that satisfaction elsewhere, it's like God is shouting into the void of my heart as Maximus did to the overflowing Coliseum:

"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"

Of course I'm not. Because I tried to fill a God-sized hole with something lesser.

"I WILL sing..."

Other times, I need to be reminded that there is an element of intention to my worship. I was made for worship, and God intends to be worshipped, but He also gives me a choice in the matter. I can choose to worship Him. I MUST choose to worship Him, every day. When life is good and things are going smoothly, I must choose to worship the Father because otherwise I will grow comfortable and complacent. I suppose there is nothing much worse than a comfortable Christian. I must also choose to worship Him on the days when life is hard and tragic and painful. It is those times that my faith may be the most severely tested, but that is also when perseverance and character and hope are most effectively produced in me. Worship reminds me that "this hope we have as an anchor of the soul" in Christ, no matter how badly the storms may toss me about.

"TO YOU, O LORD I will sing praises."

Speaking of choices, sometimes I also need to be reminded that not only is the ACT of worship a choice but the OBJECT of worship is as well. It is the LORD GOD I am worshipping and not anything (or anyone) else. I get caught up in the things of this world so easily, in daily cares and worries, in myself - to the point that I begin giving more attention to them than I do to God. This is idolatry - there is no other word for it and it needs to stop. I need to stop and I can't stop except for the powerfully working blood of Christ poured out for me and filling me with His strength to turn away from my sin.

Jesus, capture my heart. Enthrall me with who You are to the point that I fall in love with You again each and every day, completely drawn into worship of You. Destroy the idols in my life and help me to give over each and every facet of my heart, mind, and soul to You. Bring me to worship You in good times and in bad ones. Continue to make everything except for Your worship and glory less than satisfactory so that I will long for You as the deer longs for water, and may I never leave until I have drunk my fill.