Worship: It's Not Just For Church
Lean into worship, and feel your trust in God grow and your relationship strengthen.
The word “worship” is used quite heavily in church circles. We might attend a “worship service,” for instance. If your church is more hip and modern, you might have a room designated as the “worship center” as opposed to a “sanctuary” or “chapel.”
Just from these passing references to worship, it’s clear that Christians are supposed to worship God. We have times and places set aside to do just that. But what does that really mean? What is worship? Is that just singing songs on Sunday at church, or is there more to it?
What is Worship?
I looked up the word “worship” in a dictionary. It said:
worship | ˈwərSHəp | noun
the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity
Hm. That’s… unsatisfying. To be clear, it’s fine as far as it goes, but what does it really mean? What sorts of feelings or expressions of reverence and adoration qualify? Is that singing? Or shouting, “Hallelujah!” Or throwing out, “Praise the Lord!”
The definition makes it sound like I just love God and I get a warm fuzzy feeling and that’s worship. Is there more to it? What are we really talking about here?
I think all of those things can qualify, if they are done with the right spirit. But I think that’s the thing that the dictionary definition really leaves out.
When I think about worship done properly, it starts with the worshipper having a solid view of reality. I know, that’s so out of fashion these days, when people scream, “That’s your truth, but not mine!” and when you can change your “reality” every morning if you want by “identifying” differently.
But that’s not real. It’s not true. It’s a fantasy that humans try to live in, where we try to make all the rules around our own god-like selves.
There is one objective truth. One absolute reality. And that’s the one that God lives in, the one where his will is done. Everything else is a figment of your and my imagination. To put it another way, you live in God’s reality, whether you like it and agree with it or not. That is The Truth™️.
When we center our focus on God, who he is and what he has done, we’re acknowledging that singular and universal truth, that singular and universal reality. We’re saying, “God, you are the very source of reality. You are the source of truth. There is no other truth than you, your Word, your will. I reject ‘my truth’ and I accept yours.”
That’s the start of true worship — acknowledging that God is God and I am not. God created the heavens and the earth and all that fills them. Earth, moon, stars, animals, angels, demons, and everything else. I am a created being. I live within God’s creation.
Once you put yourself in that frame of mind, you’ll quickly find that you want to praise him verbally, or sing, raise your hands, or even cry tears of joy. Suddenly, things seem RIGHT. Things seem as they should be, as they were meant to be. Causes of friction in your life start to disappear because you realize that many of those things are just your own attempts to try to be a god and control your reality. But they aren’t priorities for the true God.
To put it another way, as you start to really worship God, he will quickly impress on you what is important and what is not. As you let the unimportant things diminish in your life, the friction and pain will decrease and your joy will increase.
How to Worship
Okay, so if I want to worship, what should I do? How do I get started? What’s the first step?
If you’re finding it difficult to worship, don’t stress on it. A lot of Christians have grown up outside the church and were never taught to pray or worship. Many others have grown up inside old, stodgy denominations that focused on rote liturgy during their “worship” services. Tell God that you want to learn how to do these things and ask for His help. He wants you to understand this. Nothing pleases Him more.
But you can start by using some tried-and-true techniques. Here are some good, concrete ways to begin to worship. You can do one of these, or even all of them, to get started. Mix and match as your spirit starts to draw closer to God.
Recite sections of praise and worship from the Bible back to God. I have written before about repeating the words of the living beings and the elders worshipping God in the Apostle John’s Revelation, chapter 4: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come. … You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Just meditate on those words over and over again. Think about what they mean. Go slowly; don’t rush.
Recite your favorite Psalms. When you say, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want…” (Psalm 23), you’re reflecting God’s character back to him. The Psalms are rich in praise and worship because they were the worship songs of ancient Israel.
Meditate on the names of God and what they mean. Did you know that there are more than 20 different names for God used throughout the Bible. Each of these names reveals something about God’s being and His character. You can Google for lists of the names of God (see here, for example). A couple of my personal favorites are The Ancient of Days (God is simply eternal, without beginning or end), Yahweh Jireh (“the Lord will provide”), and Abba (a very personal and intimate “Papa”). Which names impact you the most? Let me know in the comments.
Recite some of the things that God has done. You can start with the creation of the world. Maybe recite the story of the original Passover and the leading of the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and into the Promised Land. Recite the story of David defeating Goliath. Recite the story of Daniel in the lions’ den. Recite the story of Jesus being crucified and rising from the dead. The Bible is so rich in stories of God’s power and faithfulness to his people, bringing them through adversity and leading them to triumph. There’s a huge amount of material there. Pick your favorite stories, the ones that resonate most with your being and your situation, and tell God, “I know that you did this.”
Remember some of the times that God has shown up in your own life. Ever had a “God moment?” You know, those times when it was really clear to you that “only God could have done that.” Meditate on those events, speak to Him about them, and thank Him for being there for you. Again, tell God, “I know that you did this.”
Confess your sins to God. Praise Him and thank Him that Jesus paid for all your sins, once and forever. Thank Him for creating a way back to Him so that you won’t face destruction on the Day of Judgement. Acknowledge that you had nothing to do with this forgiveness yourself and that it’s a free gift of grace, unmerited and unearned by you.
Now, when you’re worshipping, should you be sitting or standing? Or perhaps kneeling or lying down? Should you have your eyes open or closed? Should you raise your arms up to the sky or keep them at your side? Should you just think words in your head or should you say them, or sing them, or shout them? Should you dance, or sit still?
Well, the answers to all those questions are up to you. If your heart is oriented correctly toward God, your body will follow. So, don’t sweat it. If something doesn’t feel right, change it. Start off doing one thing for a while and then do something else for another while. This is not about you performing for God. There is no secret sequence of actions that you take to unlock something, and then God shows up. Rather, this is all about relationship. This is about you being in proper alignment with your Creator, the God of the Universe. Seek that alignment first and foremost and all the rest of it will work itself out.
When Should You Worship?
Okay, that’s great. Now we know how to worship. But we’re still talking about Sunday mornings, right?
Nope. We’re talking about any time and every time. There is literally no bad time to worship God. None. Just keep your eyes open if you’re driving or operating heavy machinery.
But you can and should worship at home, at work, while driving the kids to soccer practice, in the morning, in the evening, during your quiet time, during meals, while you’re laying in bed waiting to fall asleep, and certainly on all days with names ending in “Y.”
Now, surely, the form of your worship might change depending on what’s happening around you. Shouting “Hallelujah!” in the middle of an office meeting might not be appropriate. But meditating on the times that God has helped you at work might be. Maybe you want to recite the names of God and meditate on them when you’re laying in bed next to your spouse, with insomnia because you’re worried about your financial situation, and you want to remember that God does provide. Maybe during your “quiet time” you want to sing out loud to God with a huge voice. Maybe when you’re waiting for the subway you want to pop in your ear buds and even do a little dance on the platform.
Jesus set you free, so go for it. You’re free from the Law, free from liturgy, free from sin! So, praise and worship God for that in any way you think honors Him and builds your relationship with Him.
Remember what Revelation 4 says: “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come,’” (Rev 4:8, NASB).
Do. Not. Cease.
There is never a bad time to praise God.
Who Should You Worship?
Finally, because I know that somebody will ask, who should we worship? God the Father? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? All of them?
Yes, all of them. The wonderful thing about a triune God is that there is no separation between them. We worship one God in three persons. All are eternal and uncreated. All were there in the beginning, participated in all the aspects of creation and the enactment of God’s eternal plan, and will be there forever in heaven.
Indeed, if you’re worshipping deep down in your soul, you will feel the fullness of the Godhead receiving all of it. It will feel right, and proper, and complete.
Now, having said that, let me also say that only God should be worshipped (see Deuteronomy 6:13, and, really, all of chapter 6). You should never worship angels. Indeed, true angels will not receive your worship and will reject it. But Satan and demons love to be worshipped. You should never worship apostles, saints, Mary, Joseph, your ancestors, wise men, the stars, the sun, the moon, animals, or any one or any thing other than God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Period. There are many people listed in the Bible as being blessed by God and used to accomplish his purposes, but they are not God. And only God is worthy of worship. Only God. Only. God. Got it?
If you ever attend a church that directs you to pray to or worship anything other than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you must walk out and never go back. The surest sign of heresy is to direct people to worship anything that is not God. I cannot stress this strongly enough.
After that big warning, let me end on a high note.
Praise Will Deepen Your Relationship with God
Praise is ultimately what you were created for. You will be praising God in heaven for eternity, and it will be the most natural and wonderful thing you can imagine.
Some people mistakenly say things like, “I don’t want to sit around in heaven for eternity playing the harp and singing hymns! I’d rather go party with the sinners in hell!” Those folks don’t understand heaven and what real praise is about or how many forms it takes. While I can almost guarantee that you will love the singing in heaven and that it will pierce the center of your soul with its beauty and wonder, even if that ends up being wrong, there are so many ways to praise God that you’ll have your choice of how you want to express it. And when you stand face-to-face with the Almighty, the Ancient of Days, before his throne, you will want nothing else than to join the four creatures and the elders around His throne, described in Revelation 4, and worship Him without ceasing.
Further, once you realize that it’s good and proper for you to start praising God all the time here on earth, you’ll start to crave it. God will draw near to you and you will experience him at a deeper and deeper level. If you’re struggling with your relationship with God, feeling distant and unconnected, there is nothing that will help build that intimacy, trust, and relationship better than spending time praising him.
Don’t just do it on Sundays. Do it all the time. In all forms. Without ceasing.
Today’s Prayer
Holy Father, maker of all things, who was, and is, and is to come, thank you that you allow us to come near to you in praise. Thank you that you want a relationship with us, finite disobedient creations that so often want to try to become gods ourselves and steal the worship and adoration that rightfully belongs to You. Remind us how much you enjoy our worship and respond to us as we learn to focus on you and align our spirits with yours. Take us to that perfect place with you where everything is in the right spot, in the right orientation, with nothing incomplete or flawed, where every relationship is strong, perfect, and fulfilling. Amen.
If this article spoke to you, leave me a comment and let me know. Your feedback is always appreciated. Does somebody in your life need to read this? Share it with them (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)! If this spoke to you, please subscribe to get future articles. And always like and “restack” this post in Substack to help others find it.
Our whole life is a worship to our father in Heaven.
Beautiful. Thank you. Especially loved the prayer