Worship is defined as expressing reverence, honor, and adoration of a deity.
Of course, you and I know there is no other true “deity” except God Almighty. Therefore, He is the only being that deserves our worship. Once that basic truth is established, then the question becomes how we express our worship to God.
According to Strong’s concordance, the three basic biblical definitions of worship denote bowing down, paying homage, and even kissing the hand of the One we worship. We demonstrate the spirit of worship when we come into His presence with reverence and awe. For the truth is, like with Moses, worship requires us to recognize that we are standing on holy ground when we come into His presence.
As humans, our worship can be manifested in a thousand ways – with songs, declarations, prayers, scriptures, or dance. Sometimes, our worship comes out with tears or shouts; we simply cannot be quiet or sit still because of the utter joy we find in Him. At other times, all we can do is cry, moan, or sit in absolute silence as we bow at His feet.
Whatever the mode of our expression, the object of our worship is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yes, He alone is God. And that singular truth always elicits total and complete worship from me.
It is simply unbelievable to me that GOD allows each of us to come into His presence and bring our frail and feeble offerings of praise and worship to place before Him. And how amazing that He even desires our worship. In fact, various verses remind us that He is a jealous God, warning us to put no other idols or false gods before Him.
Lately, that aspect of worship is the one I have been contemplating the most. As I looked through the book of Deuteronomy, I read over and over that when God’s children began to follow after other gods, they also began to serve those idols. Actually, each verse I read in Deuteronomy that spoke of this fact always put the word service before the word worship.
Deuteronomy 11:16 says, Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other gods, and worship them.
Let me get this straight! Every time the Hebrew people got into trouble and fell away from God, it began innocently enough. First, they simply turned aside to contemplate and took a glance at idols, then they served them, and finally, the children of God fully worshipped the false gods.
So, if serving and worshipping went hand-in-hand in the Old Testament, then how does this same concept apply to us as modern-day worshippers of the One True God?
I think service is the key. That which we serve will also become that which we worship.
That makes things simple and straightforward. Regardless of how enticing the things of the world seem, or how hard the current cultural chaos calls to us, all we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus and serve Him. For that which we serve will also become what we worship.
Now, it’s easy to serve Him when things are going well, or the task at hand is enjoyable. But can we continue to serve Him when things are tough, and the task is even tougher?
Likewise, it’s a joy to serve Him when He wants us to serve and minister to people that we love. But can we serve Him when the people He directs us to help are contentious or hateful? What if they have harmed us and wronged us? Does He still expect us to serve Him by serving them?
You know He does; there’s no point in even asking.
But who knows! Those instances and those people might even be considered a sacrificial act of worship. That might be the truest worship of all.
Think about Acts 16:25-34, when Paul and Silas were in jail, bound in stocks:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
As these two ministers were worshipping God, they were given total freedom, but they chose to use that freedom to minister to their jailer.
But that’s not the climax of this story. When the jailer was saved, He immediately served God by serving his prisoners by caring for their wounds and feeding them.
One act of worship carried out by two captives birthed another act of worship in their captor.
And if that’s not enough to make you want to serve and worship God by serving others, then think of Jesus as He hung on the Cross, suffering for you and me. In His darkest hour, Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who were killing Him. Even then, He was worshipping God by serving others.
So, we have no excuse. Let us serve Him and worship Him with all that is in us.
