Avodah Worship
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3: 23-24, ESV)
“Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants and Your [glorious] majesty to their children. And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us; Confirm for us the work of our hands— Yes, confirm the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:16-17, AMP)
We’re all familiar with the fact that the word “love” has many different terms and applications in scripture. You have philia love, which is brotherly or platonic love. You have storge, which is familial love. You have eros, which is romantic love. And you have agape love, which is the love of God.
That’s because the Hebrew words for love had the ability to encompass different meanings and facets of love depending on where or how they’re used. But have we ever considered there are other words that are multifaceted in the same way?
What about worship?
Recently, I’ve come across the Hebrew word “avodah,” which means worship, work, and service. More accurately, it’s worship in the context of our work and service to God and each other. On a practical end, the word avodah is seen in scripture that deals with temple service– sacrifices, rituals, and prayer– but it’s also seen in Genesis 2:15 where God tells Adam to work the garden for Him.
What this shows is that God’s original intention for worship has always been closely tied with service. The common idea of worship is that it’s music– dance, instruments, singing, and sacrifice. All too often, we view worship as art or beauty, incense and song. That’s because the English language tends to separate the terms and ideas of worship, work, and serving.
But in Hebrew, and in the heart of God, these concepts are all intrinsically tied. Sure, worship is lifting our hands and beholding Him, pouring out our hearts and honoring Him. But if we think worship ends when the song is over and we go about our day, we have a very low view of our responsibility to live a lifestyle of worship.
In the garden, Adam was asked to go and work the garden as an act of worship. In the ten commandments, when God directs us to observe the Sabbath, He says six days you shall work (avodah). When God uses Moses to set His people free, Moses says, “Let my people go so they may worship me (avodah).” When Joshua says those famous words– as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord– the word for serve is avodah.
That’s a promise to serve and honor. That’s a promise to fill his home with a joy to worship and glorify God with their talents, their time, and their skills. What’s more, that’s choosing to live a life where all things, even menial or boring tasks, have the opportunity and ability to turn us to the Lord in worship.
When’s the last time you mopped your kitchen floor to the glory of God? It’s possible. If I can clean my home as an act of worship, then anyone that enters my home will get to enjoy not only the cleanliness and comfort of a tidy environment, but they can also enjoy the Christ I share with them through my homemaking.
When’s the last time you cooked dinner– chopped onions, browned meat, or baked bread– as a service to God and family? Giving them an excuse to gather around the table and pray together.
For me, I’m a young mom with two active and dependent kids that need me. Most days, it’s easy to consign myself to feeling that I’m “just a mom” or “just a housewife.” But if I put my mind on Jesus and choose to worship Him with everything I do, I suddenly see that my calling is to raise those kids in the same way. When I worship God with my work, I go from “just a mom” to a necessary and important part of my family that needs my help. I go from “just a housewife” to someone with a precious calling to worship my God.
This applies to everything. And it is so much more than a song. It’s so much more than art or beauty. It’s life itself. It’s something that can be applied today. Right now.
Today, let’s worship God with an avodah heart. Let’s worship God in everything we do. Let’s serve others and serve God to His glory. Find Him in places and tasks you didn’t think you could before. Worship Him in the toiling of your day. Do what you have to do unto the Lord, and do it with all your heart. Serve others as if you are serving God Himself, because in a way, you are!
Let God into those moments. It’s funny how God will change your attitude towards that work. Faith and work can come together. You can worship God with the sweat on your brow. You can worship Him with your skills and talents, but also with the everyday work of your hands.
Use today to integrate that lifestyle of worship into your labor and industry. Fill your home with worship that serves God and others. Allow God to work on your heart and turn to Him in the most unexpected of places.
