More Than Just Music...

In our previous post, we discussed four main components to leading an authentic Christian life. We touched on the concepts of worship, prayer, reading the Bible, and finally evangelism and missions. Today, we want to expound on the principle of worship.

We commonly hear the word worship in church as part of the service that includes the music and songs. But, do we realize worship involves so much more than music?

Worship is multi-faceted in that involves an attitude, a willingness to look at someone besides ourselves, and to put this sentiment into action. The most basic definition of worship is reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. It is to adore, idolize, or esteem something or someone as worthy. In our culture today, it seems like virtually anything or anyone can be deemed worthy of our worship. From celebrities to politicians, sometimes our friends and family, even causes or ideals are venerated and given huge amounts of our time, energy, and money.

True worship not only glorifies God but it delights us and fills our hearts and mind with indescribable joy. In C.S. Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms, he explains in detail how we are commanded to praise but not because God needs the praise from us. He believes that in the process of being worshiped, God is communicating His Presence to us. He states:

"In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."

The Bible does not expressly define what worship is, but it gives us many examples of people worshiping. People honored God through the building of altars and offering sacrifices, singing, writing poetry, fasting, praying, reading the Word, sharing the Gospel, and by giving their time, talents, and money.

I want to present to you what I have learned about worship in my personal life. Instead of weighing you down with heavy thoughts and concern about how you worship and your motivations in worship, I want you to consider the two main factors of worship and then give you some examples of what worship may look like in your daily life.

Worship involves both attitude and action. Our attitudes of reverence and gratefulness will influence our actions. When our attitude toward God is that we are in awe of Him, and we have intense feelings of gratitude to Him, we will be moved into an action of worship. A friend of mine once told me that before church, she listens to praise music so that her heart will be prepared for worshiping God at church. She is training herself to to have an attitude of praise so that acts of worship will follow. Sometimes, the same things that we do to prepare our hearts for worship can also be the same activities that we do to worship. I would encourage you to prepare your heart for worship by reading the Bible and praying each morning. Spending time in His Word and communicating with Him will affect your attitude. Once in this mindset, you will be prepared to praise Him during the day. When your heart is prepared before you attend a church service, you will be ready to worship when you are there. When you sing during the worship service in church, you will be singing because you want to praise God for the great things He hath done, you will sing because you are happy in Jesus, and you will praise Him for the blessed assurance of your salvation.

When you desire to praise God, it will not only affect how you respond during the church service but also how you respond to God during the week. If your attitude is one of humble reverence, you will find that opportunities for acts of worship abound. We offer acts of worship to God to physically show Him our love and gratitude. The Bible records that Jesus worshiped through Scripture reading, prayer, and attending church. Worship can be done through the deliberate meditation on His Word and memorizing Scripture. Do you give God your time, money, and talents as acts of worhip? You can sing to Him, write to Him, photograph nature and then praise God for His creation. You can return His money to Him for things that further His kingdom, take part in a mission trip, or volunteer at Vacation Bible School. When you share how He's touched your life and acted on your behalf, when you tell others about how you felt His presence as you walked through the trials of life, when you take time to show compassion to others, you can give the glory to God and make these acts of worship. Athletes, musicians, writers, photographers, and artists can use their talents to worship Him and to spread the gospel. God will accept authentic acts of worship without boundaries. We grow the most in our relationships with others when we spend time privately with them. This is the same way we grow in our relationship with God. Most of our acts of worship toward God are also done privately and not made public.

Two of my favorite times to praise God and make it an act of worship are when I see the sun rise and again when it sets at night. Everyday it is a little bit different. God gives it to us at predictable times, but there is no way to predict how brilliant it will be. I cannot watch the morning sun without praising my Creator. I give all honor and glory to Him. The following is a short post I wrote on an early summer morning. I was overwhelmed by the love I felt for Him and the way His Presence affected me.

My heart was beating loud and fast in my chest. My breath I held as I watched in hopeful anticipation.

There it was…the sun rising in the east in glorious display.

The worship music was playing in the background, songs of His great and wondrous love, I am watching the colors dance across the sky, reflecting through the clouds. I am enveloped by this display of His love for me. I cannot stand. I fall down in worship. My head bows in His Presence. I cannot take it…it is too great for me. In my head, the verse keeps repeating:

#worship #praise #attitude