ExF: My Soul Sings – Worship as a Lifestyle
Expressions of Faith
Welcome to Expressions of Faith, a series where we are highlighting the artistic and creative endeavors of students in the Christian community on Cornell’s campus. Today’s piece is from Maria Lee, a Communications major aspiring to minor in marine biology. In her piece she talks about the intimacy of worship and how for her, worship isn’t just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.
BY MARIA LEE
“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” – Psalm 104:33
We were all created to give glory to our Creator, and God formed each one of us uniquely, so we have our own way of accomplishing this purpose. The way I connect intimately with God is through music and worship. It is in those moments when I am alone with Him and meditating on His goodness that I feel fulfilled and I realize that this is what I was created to do. We can express our dedication to God by finding different ways to allow our gifts to bring Him glory. For my personal growth, I like to take my guitar out with me to a secluded area outdoors and sing worship songs where it is just me alone in the presence of the Holy Spirit. This makes me think about how David would sing to God alone when he was just a shepherd boy, only desiring to seek the presence of God. God never fails to reveal Himself and magnify Himself to me as I sing, and these are truly the sweetest personal moments I get. I am shown that, in my weakness, He is magnified and glorified. My confidence is in GOD’S ability to make my way and guide me when I can’t see ahead. Before we see the results of our situation is when we need to have the same attitude of thanking God that we have after He shows Himself in that situation. These moments are when I can align with His Spirit and everything else goes behind Him. God uses the alone time we have with Him to dedicate us to Him by faith and prepare us for the new doors He is opening as we trust in Him.
Before I got to Cornell, I used that time to connect with God and prepare my heart to serve Him at college. When I first arrived on campus in the summer, my sisters and I had been invited by a group of Christians to sing on the Slope with some friends. That day was so inspiring as I got a chance to see these college students, who were so dedicated to Jesus, express their love for Him through the way they lived their lives. From there, I knew God was showing me how I could serve Him. When the fall semester started, I was so excited to continue that and get together with people to openly worship Jesus and show the world our love for Him. Now every week, I get a group of fellow believers to come together and we go outside in an open area on campus and use that time to have fellowship and sing and make music to God. Also, I have been able to lead worship for my weekly women’s prayer intercessor’s meeting, as well as recently get involved with my new church’s worship team. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I am realizing that God is giving me the true desires of my heart by giving me the chance to use my life to bring Him glory in the way that He made me to—through worship.
My faith has impacted the way I worship completely. It is one thing to sing a praise song as an act, but as I grow in my faith, now my worship has transformed into the most real thing in my life as I connect with God. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says “Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.” As I learn more and more about Jesus’s love and how the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside of me, my life becomes transformed. I realized that my worship is not just an act, but an honor and a privilege! As believers, we are all going to get to worship God eternally, but it is how we use our time here on Earth that shows our dedication to God. I am so eager to use every opportunity to give my Savior glory, and this has transformed my mind to where singing is not about my voice, but instead, it’s all about giving Him glory! If He can use me to give Him honor, then I am truly privileged. Growing up, I heard people say that Jesus is your confidence, but this has really been manifested into my knowledge and now I see what that really means. My heart yearns inside of me as I aspire to connect further with God, and this has become the lifestyle that I’ve dedicated myself to—one where I can use every situation to sing and give Him praise.
Worship is all about God and lets me dwell in His presence and acknowledge His glory, and I want this to be the focus of my life. When you find your way of connecting to God, the more you will become immersed in Him and grow into the person He made you to be. The more I sing to Jesus, the more my focus on Him narrows and I can have more intense worship. This calling we have will form the rest of our lives according to the path that God has set out for us, and likewise, Ephesians 4:1-6 says “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Let’s take our callings, our unique God-given purposes, and start living them! Psalm 96:8 tells us, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!” We get the opportunity to serve our glorious God here in our short time on Earth and lift Him up with the way we live. The revelation of who He is leads to the expression of our hearts to show who He is. Let us aspire to come to our full potential as we immerse ourselves into the calling He has given us—letting our souls sing to the Lord as we ascend into His presence.
You can find more of Maria on her music instagram @maria.leemusic where she posts various covers of worship songs and others songs that she likes. Here’s one of her original songs, “In Your Hands” on her YouTube page: