I was recently asked to share what worship means to me with the rest of our worship team during our devotional at practice. As I prepared looking for passages of Scripture that have impacted my worship over the years, I thought about how my understanding of worship has evolved and how that has changed my worship.
When I first became a Christian in November 1981 my discipler encouraged me to sing out with all my heart. She was an outstanding example of that and I immitated her. I always loved singing at church growing up and was a church choir member for a number of years. Back then, however, my focus was more about me and singing my best in hopes of being assigned a solo. As a result I wasn’t focused on worshipping God very much. After being baptized as a disciple I began to understand that my worship should be wholehearted and not about me at all. So I strove for that.
Over the years I have heard many things taught about worship that have helped my understanding deepen. I’ll share some of that with you.
I Corinthians 14:15-17 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving? You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.
In context (Vv 1-17) Paul is admonishing the saints regarding speaking/praying in tongues. If the one speaking in tongues is n
ot able to interpret so that others can understand, then he is speaking in tongues only with his spirit, not with his mind and only he is edified. This makes his worship unfruitful. Paul teaches to pray and sing with spirit and mind. This changed how I sing! I realized that I needed to engage my mind and connect with the lyrics, to understand what I’m singing and to whom so that others would be encouraged and edified making my worship fruitful.
Worship to me is not only song and music, however.
Psalm 35:28 My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.
These passages teach me that worship includes speaking of God’s righteousness and praises all day long, not just singing, and not just when the body meets or just during my quiet times. It’s also sharing my faith with others – sharing praises of how God has worked and is working in my life. Worship to me is offering my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is my spiritual worship – living daily for Him. See related Bible Study here >>>
When I look at worship this way I recognize that my worship is not all God wants it to be. I fall short a lot. Yet I’m thankful for God’s grace. Because of His grace I can continue to strive to be holy and live pleasing him – my spiritual worship.
Worship to me is perpetual as seen in the two passages above (Ps 35:28 & Rom 12:1-2) and in Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. I am so challenged by this! How do I do this? How do I continually live a life of worship as described in these passages? Through Jesus Christ! I am clothed with Christ. As I bring my sin into the light in confession and strive to change and grow to be more like Christ, I grow in my worship to be holy and pleasing to God. Do I confess his name before others with praise to him? Luke 12 : 8 >>>
Worship means to me doing it with a true attitude: Wholeheartedly, with honor, reverence, fear, awe, attentiveness, even in silence at times, and always in truth and in spirit.
Passages that helped me with this are:
- Leviticus 10:1-7
- Psalm 5:7
- Psalm 29:2
- Psalm 93:5
- Psalm 95:1-5
- Ecclesiastes 5:1
- Habakkuk 2:20
- John 4:25
Finally, worship to me means joining in with the multitudes of angels as they sing praises to God!
Revelation 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
Wow! This is very exciting to me. To think that as I sing praises to God, I’m joining in with all the angels! We are joining in with all the angels!
Christine Arsenault
