More than likely, according to the stats, you are trying to figure out what in this big ol’ world you are going to be, what you are going to do, and how you are going to accomplish it. I remember my own time of frustration in trying to figure out how I could be what I wanted to be and yet serve God at the same time. I remember thinking to myself, “How will I ever fulfill what God has for me—especially when I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing?” While I had some great adolescent experiences, I’m glad I have moved on. I don’t, not for even one second, wish I were in your shoes.

You are in such a unique place—a time filled with craziness, ideas, philosophies, and especially the quest for individualism. From what I understand, you are now defined by how you dress, what you don’t do (and that’s a mouthful there), and with who you hang out.

So, how do you define yourself? How do you find that calling, the special calling that God gives everyone and the one that is His unique call to you?

In this search process of seeking out wise counsel, you may have heard, “Just grab ahold of the horns of the altar, boy,” or “I fasted seven days, no food or water, to get my answer, and you need to do the same.” You’re like, “What? Are you serious? I’ve never fasted a whole day in my life. There are horns on the altar? I’ve never seen horns on an altar.” (You get my point here!)

I hope by now I’ve somehow related to your potential situation. I hate to let you down, but I don’t have a direct solution for you. This is an age-old set of issues. No matter in what time or society individuals have lived, they’ve dealt with these same questions and frustrations, just all in a different way.

“Well, thanks Miquell! You’ve already told me you don’t have an answer and it’s basically my own battle. Tell me what I don’t know!”

I’m going to show you where our problem lies. Through this, maybe you can finally hear from God.

As with all questions you may have, revert back to the Word. (Or, if you’ve never been there to begin with, it is a good place to start.) I’d like to take you to a little adolescent boy in the Old Testament by the name of David. We’ve all heard about David, right? He was a little shepherd boy who killed this and that with his bare hands, slayed a big man in front of two armies, played a harp, became king, sinned a bit, recovered, and left an interesting lineage. (You should read it sometime … it is drama to the max.) Before David did all of those things, he was walking around the hills and land, watching the sheep, singing, playing the harp, and worshiping God. He was anointed to be king and then went back to the fields giving more worship to God. Luke says in Acts 13, that David’s heart beat to God’s heart and that he was a man that would do what God said to do.

So which came first, the voice of God or a worshipful heart? It is my opinion that the very reason why God chose David to be, do, and have all these things was because he was first a worshiper. What an individual! He didn’t fit in with anybody. He was the smallest of eight brothers; in fact, his dad, Jesse, told the prophet Samuel he was the runt. Can you imagine? No one would have ever chosen him to be King over God’s people. So why did God choose him? Again, this is my opinion, but I think it was because David loved to worship. Through his worship, David’s heart beat like God’s, which meant he wasn’t just like everyone else.

Worship … I love it! It’s the only thing I’m doing right now where I really feel like I’m getting somewhere.

There are three aspects of worship: worship through speaking, worship through doing, and worship through listening.

Worship through speaking is probably something we think of as easy when, in reality, it isn’t. While singing a song or reading a Psalm can be great and so fulfilling, those are not your words of worship. Those are someone else’s words you are using. Now, if you are anything like me, it is difficult to just start speaking words of worship. I hate to admit it, but it is really hard for me to create words from nothing. I have to get in His presence first before the words will start flowing from my heart. How do I do this? Through someone else’s words—through a song or David’s Psalms. The cool thing is that no matter how you get to the place of worship, whether it is through speaking or singing, just make sure that in every worship encounter you take your heart to a place where your created words to God become more important than what someone else has penned or authored.

I don’t think we need much help on worship through doing, right? We pentecostals have that down. Clap the hands, shout out a praise, dance a jig, and then … can the worship experience ever be complete without brother “so and so” running around the building? I get tickled just thinking about how typical worship “doers” we are.  We are on our feet clapping, shouting, and even dancing before the first word is ever sung in the song. We love that “shout beat.” Now don’t get me wrong here, I love those encounters, and they have their place in our worship endeavors. Just remember, though, worship should have depth and be from the heart, and not just something we do because, “Well, we’ve always done it that way.” This mentality doesn’t get us anywhere. Remember, if worship is a heart thing, worship by “doing” can be exhibited in so many more ways that what we are used to.

A new fad is for pottery groups to get together, get into a worship mindset, and then start creating pieces of pottery. You may be thinking, “Whoa!! Now that is far out,” and I agree, yes it is. However, I hear that those pieces of pottery are the most gorgeous masterpieces anyone has ever seen. Be a unique worship “doer.”

Worship through listening … hmmm. Now get prepared. I might step on some toes, including my own on this one. How in the world, through our Pentecostal worship experiences, do we ever expect God to be able to get a word in? We are so loud and so busy shouting, dancing, and running around, that God cannot reveal Himself to us. Are we so small minded to think that the man of God for that service has the only word from God? If we have a moment of silence in our worship experience, we think something bad has happened, the soundboard is fried, or someone forgot what the next song was. So, what do we do? We shout out another “hallelujah,” or we clap our hands again to cover up the uncomfortable atmosphere of silence. Why is this? Why can’t we allow one moment in our worship experience for God to commune with us personally? Would we even know how He was going to speak?

I don’t know about you, but I have had moments in a worship encounter where I have allowed the piano to hold a note, no words to be sung, and in that moment totally had God minister to me. Why? I created a moment. A moment is all you need, and all God needs, to minister to you. It is in these precious, most sacred times that God reveals to you His love, His character, and His will. It is in this worship experience, when your heart is pure—mind, soul, and strength fixed on Him and Him alone—that God is able to give you what you need for that moment. Will it be His plan for your life? Maybe or maybe not. What I know is that He will give you what you need for that moment. Common sense tells you that eventually, through consistency, you will receive from Him exactly what you need.

Seek first God’s heart as David did, and He will reveal to you His desires and dreams for your life. Seek Him, not for His will for your life or for personal gain, but to really understand His heart and who He is. He loves the moments we create for Him. He created us to choose to worship Him. Now go fulfill the one thing you know is His will … be a worshiper.