Worship
What is worship?
from Chapter 11 of “Worship’s Journey” by Kevin Norris
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;” (Psalm 95:6)
“The king has brought me into his chambers.” (Song of Songs 1:4)
“God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)
What is Worship? Sometimes when we use the word worship, we are meaning different things. Sometimes we refer to the whole church service, including singing, prayers, offering, announcements and the sermon, it is all called worship in this sense.
Often we mean just the singing part of the service. For years, churches used the term, “praise and worship,” but now it is more common to just say, worship. We have worship leaders, worship teams, worship recordings, and worship conferences, all dealing with Christian singing. When we use the word worship this way, our words reinforce the idea that worship is singing songs. But anyone who has read through the Bible knows that worship is more than songs, So what then is it?
Confusion often comes when we use the word to define the whole church service while other times referring to the singing part of the service as worship. I have heard pastors say, “Wasn’t that a wonderful time of worship!” and “thank you worship team.” Then in the next breath say, “We are going to continue our worship by giving our offerings or hearing the preacher.” So, if I am the worship leader at that place, I am wondering: “What did I just lead? Was it just songs?” If the whole church service was worship, what was the “worship time” about? Or is it all worship? So we are left wondering what is truly worship!
To add even more fuzziness, more Christian leaders have been using the word worship to describe the attitude of giving God honor in all aspects of our lives. Rather than speaking of worship as an activity, it has become just an attitude. Of course, everything we do should be done to honor God, but is this what the Bible calls worship? I fear we are losing the Bible meaning of worship, because we have not taken care to see what the Bible teaches.
When the Bible uses the Hebrew word shachah and the Greek word proskuneo, it always refers to a specific action, not merely an attitude of heart. When people worshiped in the Bible, they were not doing anything else. We see the same in both the Old and New Testaments. Worship was a separate, focused time, often spontaneous. Praise was a more organized activity. King David commanded the Levites to praise at specific, regular times, planned into their schedule!
Praise acknowledges and expresses who God is; worship responds to who he is by expressing our commitment to him, our allegiance, our honor and love.
Praise says “He is Lord.” Worship says “You are my Lord.”
Praise says “God is love.” Worship says “I love you!”
Praise says “God is faithful.” Worship says “I will follow you always”
Praise says “God is awesome.” Worship does not say anything, we just fall on our faces!
In praise, we remind ourselves of God’s love for us. In worship we respond to that knowledge by allowing ourselves to be embraced by that love, letting it soak further into our hearts! Worship is the place of deeper heart connection with God, expressing the inner-most thoughts and feelings.
In our earthly relationships, we may talk about everyday things like, “What shall we eat today?” or “Please take out the trash.” We can talk to God about everyday things too, but there are times when we must talk about issues closer to our hearts.
When I began dating Liz, we talked about all kinds of things. When I wanted to take our relationship further than “just friends,” I stumbled over my words, but that didn’t matter. I just took a deep breath, and shared honestly from my heart. It was a special time. Our relationship began. Months later, I asked her the big question, “Will you marry me?” Her simple words, “Yes, I will,” took us to an even deeper place. We had expressed our love, and committed to a life together. We were changed! It was not an ordinary time, it was precious, one to be remembered for a long time.
We live most of our lives in the ordinary, that’s OK. But it would not be very exciting if all our life was like that. We love special times like Christmas and birthdays. Married couples enjoy date nights. We have special days, special clothes, special songs, and special places to visit. Our life of serving God involves lots of ordinary, mundane activities. If we love and serve God, then every activity is for God, a life lived for his glory. Worship is a part of that life, lived for God’s glory, but it is unique, it is separate from the ordinary. It is a time to be especially close to God. It can be anywhere, at any time; it does not have to be in church or in meetings. But it is unlike other activities! Expressing issues of the heart with our close friends requires the right time, the right place, and the right atmosphere. Worship is like that too.
One time when I was teaching a class on worship, I wondered whether all my brilliant biblical explanations and reasoning were really helping the students understand. I paused, and exclaimed, “I think you all know what worship is, it is this!” I looked up to heaven, closed my eyes and raised my hands, but said nothing. I was acting, but they nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we know what you mean!” It does not have to look like that, with closed eyes, or hands raised, but the students in that class recognized what I was communicating to God by my posture. They got it!
Thanksgiving expresses our appreciation for what God has done, and praise says what God is like. Worship takes us further than both thanks and praise. As his amazing love probes deeper into our hearts, and as a revelation of his greatness begins to shatter our too-small perspective on God, we commune with him face to face.
We respond to his presence in whatever way is appropriate. He is King, he is Father, he is the Bridegroom. We express to our King our allegiance, our dedication to his will. We don't say this lightly. We may also convey our deep respect and love for our heavenly Father. This is worship; communicating deep things during a special time. We put down our tools, our daily work, and concentrate on him alone.
It is exclusive, it is intense, it is focused attention that draws from us precious thoughts and feelings towards our God. It may or may not involve music. It can be sung, spoken, demonstrated with our bodies by bowing or kneeling or even in silence as we stand in awe. The method is not important, but it must involve communicating honestly.
Worship conveys the yearnings of our innermost being, from the core of who we are. That’s why it is so powerful and life-changing. It is deep. It takes our relationship with God further, because we have spent quality time, intimate time that refreshes us. When we are in his presence like this our cares and concerns fade, our discouragement disappears, our wounds are soothed, our need for love is met, and we are strengthened to serve.
But isn't worship a lifestyle?
When I first heard people speak of worship as a lifestyle, I was a bit confused. If it meant that we should offer God praise and worship at any time during the week, and not just on Sundays, then I agreed. If it suggested that every part of our lives must be lived for God and for his glory, then I would certainly agree.
But did a lifestyle of worship mean everything we did was worship? I began to chew on it. If all of life was worship, then what was worship? In all honesty, many things we do during the week are more self-focused than God-focused. There is often a mismatch between how we sing on Sunday in church and how we act on Monday. We are encouraged to change this, to live our lives in a sacrificial, worshipful way. I applaud any efforts to do so. But does saying it is all worship achieve the desired change? I doubt it.
We could also say that the way we live our lives demonstrates the gospel, and therefore our whole lives are evangelism. St. Francis is quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.” That appears to be very wise, but looking deeper, that kind of thinking will ultimately lead to a de-emphasis on preaching. Ideas have consequences. We certainly want to live godly lives that draw people to Christ, but if we don’t use our words to tell them about Jesus, I doubt we have really evangelized.
So the wrestling with these ideas continued. If everything was worship, then what was I leading people to do in our “praise and worship” times? Was there any content or meaning in the word “worship” that would help me know what I was doing as a worship leader? The answer had to be found in the Bible, so I began searching.
As I combed the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I found that when people worshiped, they were usually encountering God in a different way from their normal lives. These groups or individuals worshiped in a variety of places, by bowing, kneeling, and sometimes even standing. They were often not in the temple. David worshiped on top of a hill, others where they were standing at the time. They worshiped in response to different circumstances: hearing God speak, feeling his presence, or going through a rough time.
Here’s some examples . .
Individuals worshiped at specific times prompted by specific circumstances . . .
• Jacob – “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21)
• Moses “bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” (Exodus 34:8)
• David “arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.” (2 Samuel 12:20).
• Gideon - “As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” (Judges 7:15).
• Job - “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” (Job 1:20).
• Joshua “ fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” (Joshua 5:14)
• Hannah - “They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah.” (1Samuel 1:19)
• Jehoshaphat “bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.” (2Chronicles 20:18).
• Paul - “You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem” (Acts 24:11)
Groups also worshiped at specific times…
• The children of Israel - “And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31, also Exodus 33:10, 2 Chronicles 7:3, 29:28),
• Hezekiah and all the people - “When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.” (2 Chronicles 29:29)
• The Wise Men - “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 2:11)
• The disciples in the boat - And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33)
• The twenty-four elders “fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever...” (Revelation 4:10).
• The angels - “And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God” (Revelation 7:11)
From these examples we see that worship was a special event in people’s lives. What was being communicated? Was there anything different from the rest of life? Yes, there was!
When these people worshiped God, they expressed their hearts in a number of ways. I observed that worship was a separate action sharing specific ideas, thoughts or attitudes. The word “worship” referred to the action of revealing these thoughts. Worship involved a special encounter with God that prompted them to express their hearts in a deeper and more intimate way than usual.
So what meaning is contained in the Bible words, shachah and proskuneo? What does the Bible say about worship? In the Bible, these words mean bowing or prostrating to communicate honor, respect, allegiance, submission, or love, to honor someone higher than ourselves, like a king, or God himself.
The Bible doesn't restrict worship to any particular method of expression, or any usual place or time. The most common instruction about worship is the warning not to worship idols, but to worship God alone. But the above examples demonstrate that Bible worship contains elements that distinguish it from other activities. There is usually a special meeting with God, a heart moved in some way, and a response in giving honor, an expression of submission, allegiance or love, or acts of dedication.
There is nothing so awesome, so life-giving as to experience the tangible presence of God’s love. When our hearts are bowed in humility and our voices speak of his wonderful qualities, we can “enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.” What a privilege! When we focus our hearts on God like this, the Holy Spirit is able to comfort, strengthen and encourage us as we enjoy the presence of the King of kings! Thanksgiving and praise open the door. Let’s walk through that entrance into his sweet presence in worship!
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11