The word worship has many facets, from hero- to idol-worship. In the Christian context, it can mean going to church, praying, or reading devotional material.
Praise songs, too, can elicit worship and are sometimes referred to in those terms.
York Minster—Been there!
Have you ever entered a great cathedral? I have. Awesome!
We’re told in the Bible—in no uncertain terms—to worship God and Him only. And I get the distinct feeling that that worship back then involved far more than just singing psalms or listening to Paul’s letters being read. Check these extraordinary experiences:
- In faith, Abraham gave over his son to be sacrificed. Would that require slitting the boy’s throat the way other sacrificial animals were killed and bled? Puts a different face on worship, doesn’t it?
- Moses had close encounters with God—Burning Bush, Red Sea, Mount Sinai—that
stirred fear into his worship. - Elisha’s servant saw a host of heavenly horses and chariots of fire. A lot goes on out there!
- After being greeted by wheeled and multi-winged creatures, Ezekiel glimpsed a throned Being and fell facedown in worship.
Serious stuff, this worship business!
Then there’s the book of Revelation. Whoo!
- Chapter 1: The Apostle John finds himself face to face with the Alpha and Omega, the First and Last, the Christ who was dead and then was alive. He falls flat.
- Chapter 4: He sees the Lamb’s Throne, surrounded by Ezekiel’s gyroscopic creatures and their Holy-Holy-Holys, with everyone worshiping.
- Chapter 21: The announcement that the living God will dwell among those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. No tears, no pain, no death. Only loving relationship. (We won’t talk about those whose names are not in the Book.)
- Chapter 22: The River of Life, no more darkness, Jesus’ promise to come soon.
Will heaven be boring with nothing but worship going on? John, Elisha, and Ezekiel had their glimpses, and I can assure you—they were NOT bored.
Is worship just a weekly event for you, or is it your LIFE? “Nothing that we do has more effect on heaven or on earth.” (Eugene Peterson)
Please—make sure you’re tight with that slain Lamb–the Lord God on His throne.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
I’m ready, any day. How about you? Please comment below, or email egus@me.com.
I am ready too, by the grace of God who opened my eyes to eternal realities, as He ably describes in His Word, the well-named Holy Bible.
Thanks, Allacin, for pointing out the glory hidden in the HOLY Bible! 🙂
How I long to be there. I have written some about heaven in my book, THE ROAD TO HEAVEN. But, in the meantime, I fear too many people “go to church” and worship themselves. They do what pleases them instead of what pleases God. I would rather talk, and listen to, and meditate on, and even sing about God’s very words. He is the lover of my soul. He pours out his heart to me in those words. He opes up his inner self to me and reveals all his ups and downs, all his joys and sorrows, all his laughter and tears over what we are doing with our lives. I worship my creator, not myself and how noisy I can get or how emotionally I can feel or how I managed to take the boredom out of public worship. Who said long ago, “To know him is to love him”? So true. If God is truly in us, no public worship service could ever be boring.
Katheryn, you know how to worship genuinely, and thus, you will never be bored–even in services that could be judged as “boring.” With God present and active in our sometimes-lame worship, we are, at the very least, partakers of His Glory. Thanks for the comment! 🙂
You know, Ellie, thinking about what worship is, and how do we do it, I find the thing that stands out for me is that worship does something to me. If I think about a time when I was just swept up in worship and adoration, I notice that worship and adoration make?, call forth?…..um, call forth a response from God and I am unmade and remade. Does that make sense?
It makes great sense, Debby Our brains may not fully grasp it, but our inner selves KNOW His Presence, and that’s what lies ahead. Thanks much!
Thank you Ellie for shedding light on the crucial topic of worship. To me I take worship as coming from deep down a person’s heart. It is an expression of love, honor, reverence and Adoration to the Living God alone. Since I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, my worship comes automatically expressed only to God Almighty. While some people worship idols, I ascribe honor and love to God for what he had done to me. As we worship God in this world, we anticipate a time of worship for ever and ever in heaven. That will be a joyful experience. Maranatha!
Your experiences in Kenya speak loudly of God’s faithfulness, even in times of hardship.Yes, we will together , from every tongue and nation, gather before the Throne to glorify our Creator, our Redeemer, and the One who loves us unconditionally. Thanks for commenting!
But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
…”for those who love Him” That awe-struck feeling – is that worship? It feels wonderful. I’m thinking though, does God want to be worshipped for what He can do? For what He has made? Sure. But let Him lead us to KNOW Him so we can really love Him.
Plenty of people believe IN God, but do they BELIEVE God? Remember what James wrote? “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder”. (James 2:19) Wow. Thank you Father that You have given us a rare chance to know You, believe You and love You!
Thanks, Marcia. My reply to Debby speaks to what you have said, too. Hopefully, we’re not worshiping God for what He can do for us. Tough times/hardships sort of disabuses us of that idea, but even in those times, His Spirit makes itself known in our hearts. His love is boundless!
YES Debby. Yes. Those are the words – unmade and remade!!!
I love this question! I seem to walk around in a constant state of gratitude. That explains the irrepressible smile. I owe God so much and can’t believe he wants to hang out with me! During the hard times, when I am broken on the floor, I trust him to put me back together better than he found me. And during my morning prayers, until I reach a state of complete and reverent submission… I know I’m not done yet. Until I reach that place of total humility before God, I am not ready to do the hard things he asks me to do in obedience.
So I guess the answer is, we have a lot of different ways to worship God and he appreciates them all. Thank you for sharing everybody!!
I am pleased to get so many good insights on the essence of worship and how we–together as the Body of Christ–respond to His love and provision for us. And we’ll all be doing this together! :).
Ellie, thanks for the thought provoking words. Interesting imagines from the Older Testament.