WE ARE WOMEN WHO WORSHIP AND REMAIN

We are women who worship.

We are chosen, marked, called, and anointed by God to lead others into His presence. We intercede on behalf of our families, stay grounded in His Word, and support our teams and leaders by lifting them up in prayer. We fast to hear and communicate the heart of the Father through the songs we write, the music we minister, and the words we share. We weep as He responds to our worship with His overwhelming love and abundant presence.

We praise Him for His goodness, stand still when He is silent, and lean in when He whispers.

We remain focused and faithful, rejoicing in each victory and humbling ourselves in His glory.

But the question is: are we faithful to worship when it’s painful?

When I fully surrendered my life to Christ, I thought the Christian walk would be all-encompassing—big, beautiful, and filled with both heaviness and light. I believed that Jesus made everything perfect, and that there would be no noticeable pain in serving or loving Him. I assumed that worship would make every struggle easier and more bearable. But when I met the challenges that often accompany ministry, I felt myself becoming disheartened. At times it seemed the more I worshipped and the more I prayed, the harder things became.

God, in His mercy, used these tough times to mature me, show me how to have grit, teach me the reality of Jesus’ walk. He was always the only Son of God. He was always the third part of the Trinity. He was sinless. But His path was often intertwined with pain.

Jesus was ridiculed and rejected by those closest to Him. “Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ They were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.” (Mark 6:3 NLT)

He was rejected by His own people. “He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him.” (John 1:11 NLT)

Throughout the Bible, we see many instances of hurt and rejection that Jesus endured. He faced ridicule, refusal, and rejection, but He remained faithful. He stayed the course, even when it led to the cross. He suffered a painful, disfiguring death—for me, for all of us. He rose again, after it all, and conquered death itself! Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father and became the ultimate sacrifice for sin because He stayed faithful to His mission, even through the pain.

As I have grown in Christ, I’ve come to appreciate His patience and kindness. It took me thirty years to fully embrace the call He placed on my life to lead others in worship. Growing up, I never felt good enough to be used by Him. I struggled with embarrassment and insecurity about my powerful voice. But God continues to teach me to surrender and sacrifice my own fears and insecurities to give Him what He truly deserves: my pure worship. He created me to be out-of-the-box and that’s made my life very colorful. I wouldn’t change a thing! He reminds me of the steadfast love and faithfulness of Jesus. He remained faithful, and so should we.

Remain faithful.

Worship is not about us or our circumstances—it is all about God. Worship faithfully when life is great and worship when life is challenging. Remain faithful because Jesus is our example. He stayed faithful to His assignment, all the way to the cross, despising the shame but declaring, “…I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42 NLT

Let us continue to be women who worship and remain.

Charmaine R. Bridgeman

Life Source International Church

Baltimore, MD