“Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”
(Psalms 103:1-3 NLT)
God wants to have intimacy with each of us. He loves us so much and desires to connect with us. I believe worship is access to intimacy and relationship with God. When we are worshiping, we are revering and honoring God, and in the process we are developing closeness to Him. I also believe that in the process of worship, we are receiving healing and deliverance.
Did you know secular science is proposing that we are wired for God, that is, our brains have been designed to commune with God? When engaged in worship, studies have shown positive changes in numerous anatomical structures of the brain. Certain medical fields are recognizing the central role of worship in the prevention, and cure of disease.
For instance in a study by the University of Miami on the progress of AIDS, Dr. Gail Ironson found that: “Turning to God rather than rejecting God appears to boost your immune system and stave off the disease nearly five times as effectively,”[1]
Corporate worship has been shown to have health benefits. Regular church attendance is associated with up to a 35% reduction in the likelihood of death and a reduction in the probability of stroke. It has been found that as people sing together in worship to God, it has beneficial effects of the heart, and their heartbeats actually synchronize. They beat as one![2]
It would seem that spending time in worship with God can only bring positive results. There is nothing we have that God wants from us, he just wants us. Only good things can come from this place of intimacy with him. I want to invite you all to come into his presence and allow him to access your heart. He is not going to chase you and force you to do anything. You must actively choose to participate and then you will reap the benefits of a good, perfect, and loving God who only wants what is best for you.
Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that You would reveal your heart to us as we enter into a place of intimacy as we worship You. We thank you Lord for the benefits we reap as the result of our obedience to You. In Your name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen
— Christina Gallagher
[1] Ironson, Gail, Rick Stuetzle, and Mary Ann Fletcher. “An increase in religiousness/spirituality occurs after HIV diagnosis and predicts slower disease progression over 4 years in people with HIV.” Journal of general internal medicine 21, no. S5 (2006): S62-S68. [2] http://drleaf.com/about/scientific-faqs/#worship-effect
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