What is Worship?


Readings for the Day
1 Chronicles 16; Psalm 106; Matthew 19

Verses for the Day

1 Chronicles 16:8-11
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nationswhat he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.

As David puts the Ark of the Covenant in the Tent he had made for it, he appoints different people to offer sacrifices and worship before the Lord's presence. Some were musicians, some singers and some were priests. We know David himself wrote many worship songs, psalms and spiritual songs. 75 of the 150 Psalms were attributed to him many of which were meant for worshipping The Lord. We know David was a man after God's own heart, and worship was the product of his heart condition.

Notice how worship is active. Give praise, sing praise, give glory, look to The Lord and seek His face. The heart of the worshipper seeks God and it is active, not passive. It is a choice to honor God and put a priority on our relationship with Him. When we worship and praise him, we tell, make known and proclaim who God is. Worship, which means "worth-ship", shows us what we give worth to. I.e. What we worship. We can worship a lot of other things other than God based on what we seek, pursue and prioritize. In reality, our whole life of worship is a response to what God has done for us in sending His Son, Jesus. (See Romans 12:1-2)

What does this mean? You can worship God anywhere. In your home, in your car, at work, on a walk, and of course on Sunday at church. When we worship on Saturday or Sunday at church, we call this "corporate worship", or worshipping as the "body of Christ". What we do privately is only amplified when we worship together in the power of The Lord. Worship is at the center of the life of a Christian. It takes the focus off of us and onto God. It focuses on what God had done for us, rather than what we can do for God.

How is your worship life? How can you find more time to worship God during the day? As we seek His face we can live in His joy and strength and draw others to him. Look to The Lord and His strength and seek His face always.

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