I worship God for who he is and what he has done for me.
“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”
Psalm 95:1-7
When we talk in church about worship, we often mean songs that we sing on Sunday morning. If we think the music is particularly good, we say things like, “I love my church; they have really great worship.” Interestingly, the most common words used for worship in the Old and New Testaments don’t actually mention music at all. The most common word translated to worship in the Old Testament is shachah which means “to bow down, prostrate oneself, before a monarch or superior, in homage.” The most common Greek word used in the New Testament is proskyneo which means “to kiss the hand to (towards) one.”
In ancient cultures it was common for people to bow face down in the presence of royalty as a gesture of deep reverence and humility. This would convey that the person bowing recognized their lowly status in the presence of a king and that they were in complete submission. So, what does it look like for a believer to worship God today?
Consider the following three aspects of worship and think about how they apply to your life:
Worship Is Personal
Paul tells us to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices” and calls it “true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). If our whole bodies are meant to be a living sacrifice to the Lord, then it would imply that we have an opportunity to worship God in everything we do. When we choose to spend an evening serving at a food pantry instead of going out for dinner, that’s worship. When we decide to forego buying as many Christmas gifts as possible for ourselves and family because we want to sponsor a family in need, that’s worship. When we elect to prioritize things that spread the gospel, we worship.
Worship Is Congregational
There is something special that happens when the body of believers come together with the intention of celebrating God. The upward benefits are that we honor God and are reminded of his goodness to us, but there are lateral benefits as well. Paul encourages us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24-45). When we assemble on Sundays to sing songs together, observe communion together or study Scripture together, we get to worship God as well as serve each other in the process.
Worship Is Sacrificial
It’s easy to give away something that’s free. If I win tickets to a concert that I don’t want to see, I’m not bothered if I give them to someone else. However, when we have to give up something we desire for someone else’s sake, it can be more difficult. In 2 Samuel, King David refuses to build an altar with materials and animals that were offered to him for free. Why? In his words, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Earnest worship, by its nature, requires that we sacrifice. That includes our time, our money, and our comforts, and for some it has meant their very lives.
PRAYER
Father, help me cultivate a spirit of sacrificial worship. Help me to see that there are chances to honor you even in mundane daily activities by giving myself away. Remind me often that when I experience the pain of sacrifice that Jesus first endured great suffering for my sake. May my worship of you in the stillness of solitude and in the great assembly be sweet incense set before you. I offer my actions, my resources, and my devotion wholly to you, oh God. Amen.