Worship

(Lisa Hnath)

Worship, as I have read at various places in Scripture, is the heart in open adoration of the Lord. For instance, when the wise men came to see baby Jesus, they came for the purpose of giving Him worship. They came and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh and then bowed down and worshipped Jesus. Why did they do this? They recognized that the One to whom the star in the east was leading them, was divine. By their studies, knowledge and wisdom, and their hearts, eager to find the true God, they understood the greatness of the star that shone in the night sky: It would lead them to the King, the great One. They worshipped Jesus, because of who He was--even as a child.

Because of the greatness of God, He deserves our worship continually. And because of His jealous and everlasting love toward us, He wants our worship—every day!

For worship to have value it must be from the heart. In other words, it must be without coercion or manipulation. It must be given freely, by desire, not obligation. It is one person’s heart, unguarded, open and abandoned to the Lord, the only true God, and only One deserving and worthy of such adoration.

Worship can be a dangerous thing. How? Lucifer worshipped God. He was one of the three archangels. However, the glory of God went to his head. Rather than adoring God, he wanted to steal God’s glory--he wanted it for himself! And we can easily do the same.

When we open ourselves, in worship, to the Lord, at least two things happen, simultaneously: We find our proper orientation to God, for He is awesome and the only one capable of filling His shoes! We are in proper alignment with our creator and Savior. And it’s a relief--it’s a heavy load, trying to be what only God is. But an additional benefit is we get more of Him!

When our heart's attitude is to worship the Living God, then all aspects of our lives, under the Holy Spirit’s control, become acts of worship. Work, play, and the everyday events of life become a continuation of our worship to God. So, the workplace, school, even work in the yard become times of meditation and grace.

My feeling is worship should be personal. You should feel you can come before your Creator with freedom and acceptance. David danced before the Lord, with all his might. He was showing his love to God. He wanted to do something to express his love. We, too, should take time each day to show the Lord our love. As we abandon ourselves to Him, we will gain more and more of His love. Psalm 45 tells us to worship Him because He is our lord. How awesome it is to be in a love relationship with God Almighty.

My understanding of corporate worship is that it is worshippers--followers of Christ--sharing the passion of their hearts--Jesus Christ. To the extent that the Holy Spirit controls each of us, we are united in spirit.

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