By Shannon Caughey

A coach was asked how one of his star players could be so consistently good game after game. “It’s his ability to focus every day in practice,” the coach responded. “He’s always focused on the right things, and that enables him to be at his best come gametime.” The practice of focusing on what’s most important pays off in competition—and it pays off in life.

In this series of devotions, we’re examining spiritual practices that help us grow in our relationship with the Lord so that we live for him more consistently. We’ve looked at studying God’s Word and prayer. Now we’re considering the practice of worship. Worship is the act of praising, adoring, and giving our devotion to God. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun writes, “Worship happens whenever we intentionally cherish God and value him above all else in life. Worship reveals what is most important to us.” Worship is about making God our focus. 

Psalm 95 invites us to engage in this practice of cherishing, valuing, and being devoted to the Lord. It opens with, “¹ Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. ³ For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.” A couple of verses later, the psalmist reiterates this directive: “⁶ Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, ⁷ for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.”

Let’s look at three ways the practice of worship enables us to keep God as our most important focus—whether we’re in a church service on Sunday or in the gym on Thursday.

1. The practice of worship cultivates reverence for God.

Sometimes when coaches and athletes refer to God, they call him “the Big Man upstairs.” The psalmist reminds us that God is far more than that. According to v. 3, in worship we are coming before the Lord who “is a great God, a great King above all gods.” He is “our maker” and “our God” (v. 6). That’s why we’re encouraged to “bow down” and to “kneel”—physical indications of our recognition that we’re coming before the One who is worthy of our awe, wonder, and deepest respect. The practice of worship grows us in genuine reverence for God, knowing that he is greater than all—and this helps us keep the rest of life in proper perspective.

2. The practice of worship deepens our joy in God.

The great and awesome God is under no obligation to make himself known to us or to save us from what we deserve for our sin. Yet the Lord made a way for sinful, rebellious people (all of us!) to be reconciled to him through Jesus Christ and to draw near to him. That’s why we “sing to the Lord,” we “shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation,” and we “come to him with thanksgiving.” In worship, we recognize and respond to what the Lord has done for us—and this deepens our gratitude to him and joy in him. The practice of worship grows us as people characterized by the joy we have through Christ.

3. The practice of worship helps us see all of life as the platform for being devoted to God.

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” The practice of worship goes far beyond a Sunday service with our church family. It is living with joyful reverence and devotion to God throughout the week: offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to him in every area. We are “the flock under his care” (Psa. 95:7), so we follow him with undivided devotion at all times. 

Coach, as the practice of worship becomes a regular part of your life, it puts coaching in its proper place. God is now your most important focus, not competitive success. This enables you to resist the pressures to make sport the god of your life because you revere the Lord and are devoted to him. You have a deepening joy in the Lord because of all he has done and is doing for you. This joy helps you resist the temptation to allow your wellbeing to be determined by coaching success or failure. Instead, how you approach coaching now becomes an act of worshiping the Lord, honoring Christ, and doing all things for his glory. 

For reflection: What specific steps is God leading you to take to grow in the practice of worship? Ask the Lord to deepen your reverence for him and your joy in him. Pray that he’d help you see all of life, including coaching, as a platform for worshiping him.