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^The ship that safely carries us through the storms of adversity is worship.^

^Indeed, the Lord's purpose with Israel in the wilderness was to perfect true worship, which is based upon the reality of God, not circumstances. The Lord knows that the heart that will worship Him in the wilderness of affliction will continue to worship in the promised land of plenty.^

^Will we faithfully worship God during satanic assault and temptation? True worship must emerge now in the context of our daily lives, for no man will worship through the great battles of tomorrow who complains in the mere skirmishes of today.^

^You see, many people will pray, multitudes will find answers, but few will return to Him in worship.^

cont'd

It is what we offer to God regardless of the status of our needs.^

^There is a difference between prayer and worship. Prayer is an appeal to God based on our needs and the needs of our world. The world is filled with people, each with heartfelt and urgent requests that are welcomed by our Father in heaven, and they are each heard in the throne room of light. However, worship is not the articulation of our needs; it is the consummation of our love.

^If Satan cannot distract you with worldliness, He will overwhelm you with weariness.^

^Therefore this day speak to your soul. Tell the areas of unfulfillment within you that this time you will praise the Lord!^

^It is right here that the human soul truly begins to change and enter God's stronghold. As she found fulfillment in God, He began to remove from her the jealousies, insecurities, and heartaches that life had conveyed to her. A true inner beauty started growing in Leah; she became a woman at rest.^

^Now as she gave birth to another son, she said, "This time I will praise the Lord" (v. 35). She named that child Judah, which means, "praise." It was from the tribe of Judah that Christ was born.^

Psalm 50:5, 11, 14, 23

^The terms of the covenant are simple: we pledge to thank Him and adore Him in everything; He pledges to shine forth from our lives in the perfection of beauty. It is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, for it will cost us to praise Him when we hurt. But to do so is part of our healing and the beginning of our salvation.^

^Someone once said, "When I see a poor man who is grateful, I know if he were rich, he would be generous." A thankful spirit is akin to a generous spirit, for both appreciate and receive the riches as from God. When we are thankful with little, God can entrust us with much.^

^The truth is, God's plan allows for problems so He can teach us to "rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:16-18).^

^H. W. Beecher said, "Pride slays thanksgiving. . . .A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." We should be thankful that we do not get what we deserve, for each of us deserves hell!^

cont'd

I choose worship as a way to demonstrate my trust in God when my circumstances appear hostile; I choose worship as my means of burrowing into the heart of God when all around me is in turmoil. And as I'm lifted into His presence, I am also aware that the character of my life is being measured, and it's being measured by my worship at His altar.^

cont'd

It is as though He says, "You shall love Me with all your heart, for that is exactly how I love you, with all My heart."

Our worship is the result of His drawing near to us; it is the effect He has upon the redeemed. Yet it is also a choice we make.

^What once sounded like an impossible command, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37), is transformed from a law into a promise full of hope, an anticipation that He will transform all that we are and, in the process, create the praise of our lips.