How Do You Worship in the Mundane?

For a long time, I grappled with the idea of worship. I listen to worship music and worship God in church or through my quiet time, but all those ways are in a specific setting or at a certain time. I knew that we could worship God at all times doing all things, but I just didn’t understand how.

I was so focused on the literal praising of God’s name or praying to Him for it to count as “worship.” Plus, worship always seemed like it had to be under happy or joyful circumstances. The act of me unloading the dishwasher or driving to work didn’t seem like a form of worship. And I rarely find myself in those moments having a “posture of praise.” (i.e. singing, raised hands, reciting scripture). I struggled to know that my every thought wasn’t always on God. So, when I was caught up doing chores or work, I wondered how those acts could be seen as worship.

But one day, it clicked. I wasn’t doing anything special; I was just dusting my apartment. But my constant train of thought just slowed down. I didn’t stop what I was doing, but my mind went from overdrive to autopilot. As I was dusting around my picture frames, decorative knick-knacks, and across my dresser, I found myself noticing every little thing in my apartment. And when I noticed every little something, I felt peace —a sense of joy and gratefulness. I felt so undeserving of everything that filled my home. But that underserving feeling only intensified my joy for my heavenly Father.

Right there, at that moment, I was worshiping.

Even chores are worshipful when we have the right mindset. From that moment forward, I told myself that it was a gift to clean my home — to have my hands on every small thing that passed through my house. Why? Because it allows me to slow down and reflect on every gift God has given me.

Wives have such a unique position in the home to practice mundane worship. We are the protectors or guardians of our homes. We greet guests, plan the meals, and thoughtfully place items in our house to benefit the family. We can quickly check off items from our to-do list to keep to our well-planned schedule. Or, we can slow down and become mindful of our surroundings. And in mindfulness, we can choose to praise God.

Yet, worship in the mundane calls for a perspective change. Like, unloading the dishwasher isn’t a chore; it’s the task that needs to be done to serve dinner. Worship is honoring the most powerful entity in the universe. And what’s honoring to God is being faithful and obedient to His calling on our lives. God’s name is praised when we, as wives, care for our families. The good news is proclaimed even through scrubbing toilets. How? Because our heart posture is far more important than our physical posture.

There are many times when we can stop everything and sing songs of praise and mightily proclaim His name. But there are other times when there are deadlines that need to be met or chores that need to be done. Does our worship stop there? Only if our mind does.

A mundane worshipful train of thought can look like this:

“I need to vacuum the house. I don’t really like vacuuming, but God has entrusted this space to me and placed me as my home manager. By vacuuming my house, I will honor my husband by providing a clean space for him when he comes home. And during this time, I have an opportunity to thank God for this space He’s given me by being a good steward.”

By having that simple thought pattern, God is praised and worshiped. It takes the focus off our desires and feelings and places them on Christ.

Worship isn’t just praising God’s name out loud on Sunday morning. Worship of God is admiration and praise that’s sometimes an action but can also be a feeling.

How do we know God is worthy of such high and glorious praise? Because He. Is. Good. His goodness endures forever (Psalms 136:1). Take a look around your house. Reflect on some of your favorite memories. Notice the goodness, the kind and loving things God has placed in your life.

Even if you are in a season of doubt or hardship, and your song to the Lord seems more like a cry of desperation; I promise you, our God is good and worth every ounce of worship.

The book of Psalms is the pinnacle of worship. Many of the poems and verses have been turned into songs of praise. But there is no lack of lamentations and cries of hopelessness throughout the book. Even our bitter tears through our deepest valleys can be seen as songs of worship.

Undoubtedly, praising the Lord and worshiping His name incites joy in our lives. But there are weeks, and sometimes years, where we feel stuck wandering in a desert where joy is only a flicker compared to the heaviness around us. Does that mean we’re incapable of worshiping? What if we physically can’t raise our hands in praise and happily sing songs on Sunday? Are our lives absent of worship?

No, not at all! Worship is reverence and admiration that sometimes can only be expressed by a feeling. Even in the most bitter prayers, filled with doubts and hopelessness, there can still be worship. Remember, worship focuses more on the heart and mind than physical actions. Knowing that God is sovereign even during those seasons of despair is worshipful. We might cry out to God with anger and frustration. However, the fact we still surrender and acknowledge that Christ is the one who is Lord overall signifies we have retained our sense of worship. We might be angry, but we recognize that our God is a just God who brings order out of chaos. The recognition of His power and glory is honoring to God’s name.

There are endless ways we can worship God. It can look like a quiet and steady prayer or like hands lifted high in a crowded room. But never doubt that what you do in passing doesn’t have the potential of praise. Changing our perspective that *this* is all for the glory of God makes even the most grueling task an opportunity for worship. We worship in the mundane and through the trials of life because God is good. In and of it, that is enough to enforce our praise. But because He is good, He is faithful to give us gifts and beautiful reminders that He is worthy of our praise.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” -Revelation 4:11