We are called to worship, but what does that mean? What does it look like? What is the purpose?
In an era that often equates worship to song, what about those of us that can't carry a tune in a bucket? Those of us not on the stage on Sunday morning or Wednesday night?
Listen, I am married to an incredibly talented man. He can sing, he plays guitar, and well his eyes are swim-able but that is completely off topic. The point is, my husband feels the most connected to God when he has a guitar in his hands. He has been playing and singing specials at church since his youth. It is when he worships God with music that his relationship with the Father feels most real and tangible to him. He was born to worship.
Me? Not so much. I have tried many times to learn an instrument and I don't have the patience for it. I can sing, but not well enough to put a mic in front of me. Just enough to keep dogs from howling and babies from crying. Yet, we are all called to worship, bow down, and praise Him in His sanctuary.
Worship points to God, not our performance.
We come to Him with all that we have, any gift, any noise, any joy filled expression that pours out our love for Him. We dance at his feet, we offer our everything in freedom and release. We worship Him not just in our bodies, but in our spirits and in truth.
What does that look like? It looks like not carrying the weight of opinion into our worship. We are not there to impress, we are not there to cower. We are there to celebrate Daddy God. We come to Him with whatever gift He gave us and we offer it together; and when we all offer our gifts together at the feet of Jesus, something beautiful happens. We will all find strength.
Worship is directed to God but it is not for God. He does not need our praise. If we are silent, his creation will cry out in celebration of who He is. God accepts the sacrifice of our worship, and when it is offered to him in truth, in a pure heart meant only for Him and not for others, He returns the benefit right back to His kids. He gives us strength in our weakness as we pour out our praise with all that we have in body and spirit.
Because of all that He has done and all that He will do, with all that we have, unashamed and unrestrained, for the full glory of God, we worship.
Scripture References:
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker
- Psalm 95:6
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!
- Psalm 150:1
Praise him for his mighty works; praise him for his unequaled greatness!
- Psalm 150:2
Praise him with a blast of the ram's horn; praise him with the harp and lyre! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
- Psalm 150:3-5
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
- Psalm 150:6
But the time is coming--indeed it's here now--when true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. -John 4:23
When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
- 1 Corinthians 14:26
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I please with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
- Romans 12:1
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
"if they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
- Luke 19:40
