A Study on Worship
Lesson #1:
Imagine the myriad of angels worshiping God in heaven. The glorious scene – a display of beauty and sound to magnify and property extol the Creator God, by His creation. God has revealed this worship to us by His Spirit.
The prophet Isaiah witnessed heavenly worship (Isaiah 6:1-7), as did the apostle John (Rev. 4). In so doing they’ve given us a glimpse through the Spirit of heaven, to whet our appetites to desire an experience of true worship here on earth. God Himself desires for our worship experiences here on earth to be marked by the same creativity, power, and release as heavenly worship. (John 4: 22-24)
Many times what results here on earth, sadly, instead of power and life giving joy of the praise of heaven, is cold, dead religion, or the worship of the individual’s talent, or the music itself. (Mark 7:7-9)
God is enthroned on the praises of His people. (Ps. 22:3) Praise in His presence brings us joy and fulfillment. (Ps. 16:11) Worship of our magnificent King, God, the Almighty, holy Creator flows from the depths of our hearts out of our love for Him. It’s a love that only comes because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) And, it’s a love that purifies our worship because the love causes our worship to come from our hearts. (Matt. 15:7-9)
The dictionary defines worship as:
The first use of the word worship in the Bible is in Gen. 22:5.
"Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.""
The Hebrew root word here for worship is 'shachah', which means “to bow down.” This gives us a clue as to what God’s intension is for us as worshipers. We’re to bow down to Him and through expressions of our heart attitudes we’re to honor Him as our God.
The word "worship" comes from the Old English weorthscipe, which means the condition of being worthy of honor, respect, or dignity. To worship in the older, larger sense is to ascribe honor, worth, or excellence to someone, whether a sage, a magistrate, or God.
In essence this is what God is asking of us no matter what vehicle we use to worship Him. Worship is truly all about the heart attitude that we have toward God and it’s seen through our words and actions. In fact, He calls us to live lives of worship. (Rom. 12:1) In other words, worship is not a slow song, or a church service. True worship is a heart attitude toward God that is to permeate every waking moment of our lives, and everything that we do.
Application:
1. Examine where your mind is focused during times of worship. Ask the Lord to help you by the power of His Spirit to worship in Spirit and in truth. Sometimes this may involve a battle and you’ll have to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5) Remember that greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4). If you truly desire to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, the Holy Spirit will help you. Ask and you will receive. (Matt. 7:8)
