Is THIS How You Worship?

Posted in , By Patty Kennedy 1 comments


Hallelujah! 
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah!   
(Psalm 150, The Message)

It seems quite obvious from this passage of Scripture that worship involves action. Psalm 134:2 exhorts us: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord."

Why, then, is the song part of many worship services the time where people continue their pre-service chatting, or get up to get coffee and a bagel? Why do many stand with arms folded obstinately across their chests, seemingly impervious to the Spirit of God moving in their midst?



 I heard a wonderful sermon some time ago about worship, and how we are supposed to be fully engaged in adoring our Savior. Afterwards, a friend told my husband that he "just isn't emotional," and that he wasn't planning on changing anytime soon. My heart grieved. To hear the Word of God and refuse to be changed is a tragedy.

Remember Jehoshaphat? In 2 Chronicles 20, we see a powerful illustration of how worship was employed as a weapon to defeat the enemy:
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
Worship does more than exalt God and give Him the glory due His Name. It also empowers us to defeat the enemy of our souls.

Robert Webber, in his book Worship Is A Verb, states:
In worship our focus is not on self, not on our problems, not on other people or circumstances, but on God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our calling is to be present to the action that is taking place, to focus on the moment, to center on the Christ whom we have come to celebrate.
I can't say it better than that. We need to lay aside our preconceived notions of "proper church behavior," and worship God the way He loves us -- with complete, reckless abandon.

I leave you with this wonderful Matt Redman song. I use it often in my own personal worship time, because it helps me quiet my heart and give my full attention to praising my heavenly Father. May it do the same for you.

"We Are Here for You."