Worship
The first biblical reference to worship occurs in Genesis 22 when Abraham tells his servants to stay with the donkey while he and Issac proceed a little farther to worship. Abraham's willingness to part with the dearest thing in his life - his son, heir and fulfilment of God's promise - sets a high standard as we begin to think about worship in our own lives.
As I looked at definitions of worship, I observed that some had rather mechanical aspects - bowing, crouching, prostrating, for example. In true worship, these are merely physical behaviours reflecting a condition of the heart which is difficult to express. What matters more than the outward expressions is the inward condition. Worship is our appropriate response to God as Omnipotent Creator, King of the universe, and personal Lord and Saviour. Several associated words help us fill out the concept: respect, honour, reverence, adoration, adulation, devotion, love.
In looking at the biblical background, we often associate the Psalms with worship. There certainly are expressions of worship there, but much more common is the call to worship. For example: "Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool––He is holy... Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy." (Psalm 99:5,9) The psalmists repeatedly encourage worship through their poetry. They recount the greatness of God and His works, His faithfulness, His provision and so on, with the desire that those who are exposed to the psalms would be stimulated to respond appropriately to God.
Moving to the New Testament, one of the first references to worship is Jesus quoting the Old Testament to Satan. In response to his temptation, Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" (Matthew 4:10) John's gospel emphasizes the inner aspect of worship in recording the words of Jesus: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) In the light of these words, physical postures, ritual prayers, and religous traditions are pushed back to give priority to our attitude toward God.
I tend to keep using the expression "true worship." I shouldn't have to, but I know from my own experience that it is all too easy to go through the forms of worship with an entirely inappropriate attitude toward God. Human observers would be easily deceived, indeed, I believe I often deceive myself, but God knows whether or not I am worshipping at all. True worship, as opposed to that which superficially passes for worship, engages our entire being (heart, soul, mind, and strength) with God. It has both private and corporate aspects which we need to keep in balance.
The biblical writers often express commands to worship in one way or another. I believe this is mostly necessary because so often the people of God do not experience His presence in a vital way, perhaps not in any way at all. I say this, because in every instance I know of people encountering God in person, they worshipped. No one had to tell them to do it. It was the spontaneous response of the human heart to its Maker.
As is the case with many of the spiritual disciplines, there is no danger in practicing worship, no way to overdo it, but harm can come from distortions. We often confuse worship with our preferred form of worship. We err when we enshrine our mode of worship as definitive. Not only do we find ourselves condemning our Christian brothers and sisters needlessly, we block ourselves in and limit our expression to what we've been comfortable with in the past.
Another distortion that can present problems is attempting to please ourselves with our worship rather focussing on God. We don't worship to be blessed, though often we are blessed when we worship. But the motivation must relate to honouring God not giving ourselves a "positive worship experience."
We can also lose balance between worship as a subjective individual experience and as an objective corporate activity. Retreating into our own inner space, even when we are in a public worship setting is as much a problem as convincing ourselves that we can only worship in large groups, preferably with a decent band, appropriate lighting and perhaps other amenities.
To enrich your worship, study biblical passages dealing with worship especially noting the points where the things you find would expand your usual form of worship. Experiment with alternative expressions of worship (large group, small group, private). If you usually worship liturgically, try being spontaneous in your expression. If you are usually spontaneous, try writing down your expressions of worship and make use of liturgical resources. Try engaging all aspects of your being in worship - intellect, emotions, body, and spirit.
One thing that many have found useful is the development of the art of practicing the presence of God - recognizing God moment by moment in the occurrences of the day. Make an effort to prepare yourself spiritually before meeting for corporate worship (read and reflect on a Bible passage, meditate on the words of a hymn, arrive early and quieten your mind and heart.) In corporate prayer, seek a sense of community with an awareness that you are individuals who have come together before God. Be aware of the worship of others around you as well as what is happening in your own spirit. Develop worship in your life as a regular practice - as a spiritual discipline - not just something you do at the emotional level when you feel like it. Speak words of worship even in your distress and pain. Reach for God physically with your hands as well as figuratively with your heart.
Ron Hughes
© August 2008
