#14 – What is worship?

You know those moments when you’re so caught up in the love and goodness and beauty of God that you are smiling ear to ear, singing to yourself, dancing maybe. Yeah, what’s with that?

I’ve often wondered what worshiping God means. Like, am I supposed to feel something?

Worship in books like Leviticus talk about sacrificing animals and giving grain and birds to God as a way of showing appreciation for something He’s done. Worship in books like Psalms talks about remembering all the good things God has done and will do; how powerful, loving, and gracious He is.

To use some mathematical terminology, the common denominator between these 2 forms for worship seem to be the recognition of God’s goodness, be it past, present, or future. Feelings are awesome when you get ‘em but worship can happen anytime, anywhere, because God is good all the time, everywhere.

I used to think worship is a reflection of what I think about God and how I feel about Him. But in reality, worship is repeating who God is despite what I feel or think about Him. Nearly every psalm in the Bible follows this simple model:

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”

Psalm 23:4

The psalms especially are very raw. They show the reader what headspace the writer is in; generally not a positive one. But (and there’s almost always a “but” moment in the psalms) God is always called on as the Great sustainer, provider, protector, redeemer, forgiver, lover, friend. It doesn’t matter what the worshiper is going through. If God is still around (He is), then everything is gonna be better than fine.

Psalm 73 stands out because the first half of it is full of the “why” mentality. Why are cheaters rising to the top? Why is evil running free? Why is there no justice for the broken?

But, then there’s a moment when the writer finally looks away from his suffering. He stops comparing himself with everyone else. He stops envying the evil. And he looks to God and says (paraphrasing) “Ah yes! Now I understand. You, O God are working behind the scenes; waiting for the right time.”

The goodness of God is never absent, only sometimes hard to see. That is why we worship. It is a reminder to us of the majesty and steadfast love of our God, Creator, King and Father.