I’ve spent enough years logging miles to know the feeling every runner chases. Somewhere around mile three or four, something shifts. The heaviness lifts, the mind clears, and for a little while, everything feels right. Runners have a name for it: the runner’s high. It’s chemical. Exercise floods the brain with dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, and a handful of other feel-good compounds that lift our mood, dull our stress, and leave us wanting to come back for more tomorrow. In a very real sense, we’re wired to run.
But we’re wired to worship in much the same way.
When we set our attention on God in genuine praise, our brains release many of those same chemicals. Dopamine spikes and sharpens our focus, filling us with deep, settled joy. Gratitude retrains our neural pathways to notice what’s good instead of dwelling on what’s wrong, and that alone lowers anxiety. When we worship alongside others, the effect multiplies. Voices rising together in song can actually sync heart rates and release oxytocin, the very hormone that builds trust and deepens bonds between people. Even the physical motions of praise—a raised hand, a swaying body, a clap—stir the nervous system to release the same chemicals that ease pain and steady our mood.
I find this remarkable!
God didn’t just command us to worship Him. He created us—body, soul, and spirit—to thrive when we do it. This is exactly what the psalmist understood long before anyone had a word for dopamine or oxytocin. He wrote:
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1-2
Notice the rhythm there. Morning and night, thanksgiving and praise, bookending the whole day. The psalmist opened his day in worship, setting the tone for everything that followed, and he closed his day the same way, settling his heart before sleep. That’s not just good theology; it’s good for the body God gave us. The Bible doesn’t stop there in telling us why worship matters:
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Psalm 34:1-2
David wasn’t waiting for a good day to praise God. He committed to praising Him at all times, which tells me worship isn’t reserved for when life is good. It’s a discipline that carries us through when it isn’t. And the writer of Hebrews reminds us of exactly this:
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15
Some days, worship costs us something. It means choosing gratitude when we don’t feel it yet and lifting our voices when our circumstances haven’t changed. But that’s often exactly when we need it most.
So if you’re running through a hard season today, whether that’s anxiety, discouragement, or just a heaviness you can’t quite put your finger on, I want to encourage you the same way I’d encourage a training partner who’s hit a wall. Lift your hands. Sing, even if it’s quiet and feels awkward. Declare God’s faithfulness until the cloud starts to lift. You were made for God’s glory, and when you praise Him, His presence meets you there every time.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me to crave the very things that glorify You. Cause me to long for worship the way my body longs for food, water, and movement. Help me put You first in all things, so that my mind, my body, and my soul can be whole and healthy. It’s in Your precious name I pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
