How Worship Calibrates the Soul
About calibrations.
Worship calibrates the soul. What does it mean to calibrate or to be calibrated?
The purpose of calibrating an instrument is to insure its accuracy. An instrument does us no good if it is not accurate. Whether we are using a thermometer, a thermostat, an air pressure gauge, or a timer, we need to have a standard by which we measure. Calibration must be carried out on a regular basis because things happen when equipment is exposed to moisture, extreme temperature or pressure, vibrations, or shock. Calibration is done by using a specific standard. When an instrument is not calibrated, it loses it accuracy and its effectiveness. That’s how it is with our souls.
When prayer does not seem to help
Asaph wrote a psalm of lament. He went from depression to worship by doing what he needed to do. When we are troubled and depressed, and when it seems prayer does not help, we need to worship. God is not a vending machine or a genie in a bottle. We should not be surprised at our emotional struggles. Spiritual giants before us struggled with depression. Elijah asked God to take his life. Moses cried to God because the burden of leading the people was too heavy for him. Job lost hope. It is right to be honest with God about our fears, our failures, our frustrations, and the fallacies of others. When these men went to God and worshiped, they learned that worship calibrates the soul. We need to learn the same.
When managing our emotions does not help
Our emotions and feelings are very real, but they are not always reliable. Remember that. Jehovah God heals our broken hearts and binds up our wounds. Don’t rely on emotions. Look in the rear-view mirror. Recount God’s faithfulness and blessings because those attributes are not fickle, and they are real. Certainly there are times when we feel the blessing of God; those are times when we praise Him with our emotions. Yet the times we need to praise Him most, are often the times we least feel like praising Him. Praise Him anyway. Be honest with God. Dishonesty diminishes the relationship. You must let facts overcome your emotions.In doing so, you will find that recognizing Who God is (which is worship) calibrates your soul.
Learn to magnify God because worship calibrates the soul
When we magnify God by worshipping, we find that our problems are diminished. Our intention, our calibration, is based on our focus. We can worship God because He is God. He is faithful. He is Truth, Light, and the Way. God is our Shepherd, our Bread, and the Water of life. When we magnify those attributes, we will find that worship calibrates our soul. Recount His blessings in your past, count His blessings in today, and claim His promise to be with you always. Worship Him because of Who He is, and not what He has done for you. Worship God because He alone is worthy of your praise.
In Psalm 77, Asaph gives a lament. He is depressed, struggling, and feels alone. He wills himself to come to God in worship. You know what happened? Worship moved Asaph from a funk of a mood to true worship. Worship can do the same for me and for you. It is true: worship calibrates your soul.
When you feel alone, are depressed or discouraged, try worship. Stop thinking about yourself and think about the nature of God. Allow worship to calibrate your soul.
Once again, credit goes to my husband Dave for the thoughts in this post. Notes from the sermon he preached on this Psalm almost a year ago are still in my journal. Some days, when I’d rather complain than worship, I read my notes again.
