by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
Aging English Major
“Every day is an authentic opportunity to praise.”
As I looked at the butterfly resting on my arm — its wings torn yet still radiant — I was reminded that authentic worship carries the marks of where we have been with Jesus. It is not polished or performative; it is alive because it has endured. Like that butterfly, praise that has passed through surrender still lifts toward heaven.
Jesus tells us in John 4:23–24 that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. That kind of worship is not shaped by the room or by the people beside us; it is formed in the secret place. When we live in deep relationship with Him, our praise becomes the natural response of a heart that abides.
There will be moments when your worship does not look like the worship around you. Your hands may rise while others remain still, or tears may come when a lyric becomes personal and holy. In those moments, you may feel the weight of being seen, yet Romans 12:1 calls us to present our whole lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.
Authentic praise will always set you apart because it flows from communion, not performance. David understood this when he danced before the Lord with all his might, unconcerned with the opinions of those who misunderstood his expression (2 Samuel 6:14). What was seen as undignified by people was received as delight by God.
There are times when a single line in a song becomes an altar, and the Spirit draws you into deeper places with Him. Worship like that often leads into a wilderness season. Praise becomes sacrifice, and obedience becomes your offering. Yet even there, Psalm 63 reminds us that we can lift our hands and bless Him in a dry and weary land because His steadfast love is better than life.
When our praise is rooted in love for Him, it becomes a vessel through which He ministers to others. Hebrews 13:15 calls us to continually offer a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Through a surrendered heart, God uses our worship to speak to those who are still searching for language for their longing.
Your expression of worship may take many forms, yet its purpose is always the same: to glorify Him. Whether it rises in song, settles into prayer, moves through service, or flows in quiet surrender, it is holy when it is offered in truth. The question is not whether it resembles someone else’s worship, but whether it is fully yielded to Him.
Liberated praise is communion that remains steady regardless of place or circumstance. It is worship in the sanctuary and in the wilderness, in joy and in refining, in the seen and in the hidden. It is the life that continually turns toward Him and declares, “Lord, everything in me exists for Your glory.”
Authentic worship may cause you to stand out, but it will also set you free. When your praise is fixed on His presence, you no longer measure it by the response of others. You measure it by the pleasure of the One who receives it.
When Worship Becomes Communion
“All I have ever wanted, all I have ever needed — You satisfy the wanting, You satisfy the longing.”
For the last several weeks, I have been sitting with the Lord through “What a God” by SEU Worship, and that line has become my prayer. It has uncovered places in my heart where worship had slowly become routine instead of relational. Jesus’ words in John 4:23–24 began to echo again: the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. I realized what Jesus was after was not my voice on a stage but my heart in His presence.
When I was leading worship at The River, I had to learn to get out of my own way, especially out of my own head. I had internalized and rationalized so much of what I was doing that my praise had become rote religious memory rather than authentic surrender. The Lord drew me back into the secret place, where no microphone existed and no one was watching. In that place, He taught me to bless Him from a heart that loved Him (Psalm 34:1). What was formed in private slowly began to bring freedom in public.
One of our precious members once said to me, “Jennifer, you are more than a singer,” and that statement stopped me in my tracks. I had unintentionally placed myself into a small identity — the one who sings and the one who does as she is told — instead of the one who worships the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Romans 12:1 reshaped my understanding, reminding me that worship is not a role but a life laid down as a living sacrifice. In that moment, the Lord began breaking the box I had built around myself.
I will be honest and say that even now, four years later, I am still learning what authentic worship fully is. Yet I know the freedom the Holy Spirit has brought me through simple obedience. He has healed me on the stage, delivered me from shame and anxiety, and met me in ways I never experienced when I was performing instead of communing because “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The very place that once held pressure became a place of healing.
Now, at forty-eight years old, I stand in awe that He is still teaching me how to worship in Spirit and in truth. Whether I am hidden in the back row or standing before a congregation no longer defines the offering, because His presence is the reward. Like Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus in Luke 10:39, I have learned that communion is the highest expression of praise. He has satisfied the longing that no platform ever could.
He is the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:5–6), and as long as I have breath in my body, I will continue to seek a more authentic place of worship. My praise no longer flows from position but from love. What once felt like leading has become receiving, and what once felt like performance has become surrender. All I have ever wanted, all I have ever needed, is Him.
Scriptural References
Worship in Spirit and Truth
- John 4:23–24
A Life Offered as Worship
- Romans 12:1
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Worship That Is Unashamed and Set Apart
- 2 Samuel 6:14–16, 20–22 (David dancing before the Lord)
Praise in the Wilderness / Dry Seasons
- Psalm 63:1–4
- Habakkuk 3:17–18
The Sacrifice of Praise
- Hebrews 13:15
- Psalm 34:1
Abiding Relationship with Jesus
- John 15:4–5, 9–11
Worship as Communion and Surrender
- Luke 10:39–42 (Mary at the feet of Jesus)
- Philippians 3:7–8
Shining for His Glory (even when it looks different)
- Matthew 5:14–16
- Galatians 1:10
A Prayer of Surrendered Worship
Lord Jesus, teach me to worship You in spirit and in truth. Let my praise rise from a heart that abides in You and not from a desire to be seen or understood by others. In every place — whether in the sanctuary or in the wilderness — make my life a living sacrifice that is pleasing in Your sight. Use the expression You have placed within me to glorify Your name and to minister to those around me, and let my worship remain communion with You alone. Amen.
Weekly Challenge: The Practice of Authentic Worship
This week, set aside intentional, undistracted time each day to worship the Lord in a way that is natural and honest for you — not performative, not patterned after anyone else.
Day 1–2:
Read John 4:23–24 and Romans 12:1.
Ask the Lord: “What does worship in spirit and truth look like in my daily life?”
Day 3–4:
Worship in a setting where no one sees you — your car, your kitchen, your prayer corner. Let your expression be completely free and surrendered.
Day 5:
Read Psalm 63 during a busy or difficult moment and choose praise right there in the wilderness.
Day 6:
Encourage someone else through your worship — a word, a prayer, a song, an act of service.
Day 7:
Sit quietly with Jesus like Mary in Luke 10:39, and simply be with Him.
No agenda. No performance. Just communion.
Heart Check for the Week:
Am I worshiping for His presence or for the response of people?
Prayer for the Challenge of the Week
Lord, form in me a heart that seeks You above all else. Teach me to worship You in hidden places and in open spaces with the same surrendered love. Let my life become continual praise, shaped by Your presence and not by the expectations of others. Amen.
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The Aging English Major 