Have you ever been distracted during a time of worship—thoughts racing like a runaway train? Worship is a holy time, yet so many things can derail our focus! During worship, you may have heard a leader say, “Let’s fix our eyes on the Lord.” This phrase is found in Hebrews 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 4:18 and captures the mental discipline required as we worship the Lord. Below are five of my favorite ways to help focus, and five obstacles we face.
5 Worship Practices to Help Focus
1. Thank the Lord!
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” It’s impossible to thank the Lord without engaging your mind! Communicating to the Lord in the quietness of your thoughts takes intentionality—moving us along the road to encountering His holiness.
If you find yourself distracted, call your attention back to Him by thanking Him! Thank Him for who He is to you. Get specific about something He’s done for you, or about His character. You can even thank Him for the breath in your lungs. No matter what your present circumstances are, there is no shortage of things to be thankful for. Giving thanks to the Lord catapults us into the Most Holy Place of His presence.
2. Pay Close Attention to the Words of the Songs
Focus your thoughts on the meaning of the words of the song you are singing. Pour your heart into each phrase! The songs we sing include scriptural truths, truths that have the power to renew our minds. Unlike thanksgiving, it IS possible to sing something without thinking, just like it’s possible to thoughtlessly drive to your best friend’s house on mental autopilot. Honoring God with your lips alone doesn’t please the Lord (Isaiah 29:13); it’s the adoring words of our mouth ALONG WITH the meditations of our hearts that please him (Psalm 19:14). It doesn’t matter if you have a good voice or not; God wants to hear you sing from your heart. Focus on what you’re saying as you sing the songs with the person beside you.
3. Listen for the Voice of God
We need the voice of our Savior to increase in our lives. “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10) is a life-changing prayer. Worship increases our awareness of God’s presence. And one of the best places to hear His voice is while we worship.
Practically speaking, it's helpful to tune out the world by closing your eyes and posturing yourself physically, such as holding out your hands. This body posture communicates alertness and receptivity. Tune out every voice except God’s still small voice. The Lord loves to shower you with encouragement, direction, and blessing. He loves to speak to you, but are you listening to him?
4. Use Your Biblical Imagination
Worshipping God can be a creative process! Allow your biblical imagination to visualize the lyrics you are singing and the things God is speaking. That's what biblical meditation is. The place of worship is one of the few spaces in our lives where we don’t need to feel hurried. Slow down your mental pace and think about what is true, lovely, and praiseworthy.
5. Intentional Invitation
In a world full of pleasures and comforts, we all need to be reminded that God is the most thrilling and captivating personality we will ever behold. The next time you're in a worship set, don't just passively wait for Him to reveal Himself to you; invite Him to do so! Ask Him to open up your eyes to who He is and what His character is like. Use the prayer of Moses found in Exodus 33:18 and invite the Lord to "show you his glory.” God invites us to experience heavenly realities while still on this earth! Let’s be hungry for more of His life-changing nearness.
5 Worship Obstacles that Derail Our Focus
We are capable of focusing our thoughts, but they are prone to wandering. Unless we take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, they won't do so automatically! Our mental defaults can even be soul-ish or sinful. Here are a few “obstacles of the mind” that can trip us up if we’re not intentional about them.
1. Distraction
So many things pull our thoughts away from the Worthy One: things on the stage, in the room, or your mental to-do list. Our worship department has a core value of "providing an undistracted space for people to encounter God." This is VERY important to us, and this clarity guides the decisions we make. That's the part our team can play in creating an undistracted space, but what can you do to cultivate an undistracted heart? Next time you're in a worship service, make the personal choice not to let anything get in the way of praising God. Take a deep breath and let all the imperfections in the room fade away in the light of His glory.
2. Boredom
Worship is not a spectator sport. Giving God what He deserves, not what we feel like offering Him, but what He deserves, is a discipline. Our physical actions in worship—kneeling, singing, clapping—are sometimes our response to God’s Spirit, and at other times acts of worship regardless of our feelings. Discipline yourself to bring your heart before him, whether you feel “into it” or not. We all go through seasons of stagnation or redundancy in our walks with the Lord and in the place of worship. That’s normal. Be careful to offer God a sacrifice of worship even when you don’t feel like worshipping. You’ll be surprised to see how the discipline of worship grows a desire to worship.
3. Self-consciousness
Self-consciousness is a very real hurdle for many of us, especially if we grew up with a conservative or religious background. It can be ingrained in us to people-please and to be too aware of what others might be thinking. While there might be spaces in your life where that’s helpful (debatable), the place of worship is not one of them. As soon as we think about the opinions of others, we take our minds off of the One whose opinion matters most. If we care more about THEM than HIM, we are misaligned. While we don’t want to create unnecessary distractions for others, we also don't want to live in fear of their criticism.
4. Judgmentalism
Self-consciousness enthrones others' opinions of us, while judgmentalism enthrones our opinions of others. If you find judgmental thoughts welling up inside of you during worship, you are not alone! Matthew 26:6-8 says even Jesus' disciples were indignant when a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus' head as an act of worship. Worship is extravagant. It is expensive. It’s sometimes messy, and it doesn’t always make logical sense. Let’s stop judging other people’s worship and focus on giving God our own costly worship.
Of all the obstacles listed above, my guess is that this one is the most prevalent in our Western culture. The wide variety of styles and songs in modern music can clutter the simplicity of worship. The altar of worship is a place for laying down oneself, but it has become cluttered with people’s opinions. We are tempted to participate in worship only when the music sounds the way we enjoy it or expect it. Conversely, we should give sacrificial worship to the Lord regardless of the style or liturgy. Seek Him, and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.
5. Exalting the Music
Music itself was never meant to be worshipped. The craft of singing and playing music has become idolized in our culture–even in our churches. Yet music is a vehicle, not a destination. Music is meant to come alongside the truth, accentuating the lyrics, adding emotion, and creating momentum towards the Lord. The worship team is not playing for you. Psalms 33:3 instructs us “to sing and play skillfully FOR THE LORD.” Each individual chooses whether or not they are going to elevate the sound that’s created instead of using the sound to elevate the Creator. Exalt the Lord, not the music.
Conclusion:
The next time you're in a worship service, seize the moment. Take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ! Eliminate distractions, self-consciousness, and judgmentalism. Give thanks to the Lord. Listen to His voice. Allow your thought life to be a space where you meditate upon and encounter God. As you practice the discipline of worship, it will nurture a space where you find joy in the Lord and rejuvenation in His presence.
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