A New View on Worship

Normally we think of worship as being the slow songs during the praise and worship time during a church service.  We do “worship” to prepare ourselves for the preaching.  While I totally agree that it is an aspect of worship it’s certainly not what worship is at its core.

 A few things I know about worship:

 Defining Worship - If I had to define worship in my own words it would simply be the intent to fulfill God’s will in your life.  The first time worship shows up in the Bible is not when anyone went to church to sing, but rather in Genesis 22:5 which says,

“Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the    boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 

Abraham and Isaac were not going to church to worship.  Abraham was taking his promised son to a mountain to be crucified because that’s what God told him to do the prior day.  Abraham understood worship as obeying God.

 Stolen Worship – Satan attempts to steal God’s position in Heaven which is recorded in Isaiah 14:13-14,

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God, I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

We know his attempt was not much of an attempt at all because this verse implies that as soon as he said it in his heart, it was over for him and he was cast out of Heaven.  The enemy knows he will not ever be like God so he isn’t really looking for you to fall to your knees to worship him. What he would like to see, is your life filled with things that come before God, which according to the Bible qualifies an idol and steals worship from the one true God.  As soon as we think life can be done without God…worship has been stolen.  When we can never find time to read and pray…worship has been stolen.  When we don’t live out a spirit led life…worship has been stolen.

 Worshipping Worms – Worshippers understand how significant God is and how insignificant we are.  Job 25:6,

                        “In comparison, people are maggots; we mortals are mere worms.”

David was a mighty man of war and did extraordinary things for God but he even said in Psalms 22:6, “But I am a worm and not a man…” 

In today’s society we have so many self-help books telling us how important we are and that we should remind ourselves of it. In the words of Stuart Smalley, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”  (SNL fans will enjoy that one!)  I’m reminded of Moses being called by God to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt.  Moses replied with “who am I…” and what God did not say was, “Moses, you’re good enough, smart enough, and people like you.”  The fact was that Moses was not good enough, nor was he smart enough, and Pharaoh would not like him at all.  But the point of worship IS TO POINT TO JESUS.  What God calls you to do, will be something you can’t do and that way God gets the glory.  Worshippers embrace that!

 So, worship is not so much a slow song as it is a lifestyle.  Our created purpose was to worship God and in so doing we bring glory to Him.

 - Matt