Man is a worshipful being! No doubt the desire to worship something greater than ourselves was placed within us by an Intelligent Designer. Although the desire to worship is innate, humanity cannot determine proper actions with which to pay homage to our Creator without a Divine Standard. Thus, God’s Word dictates to man what is acceptable in the realm of worship. Jesus emphasized that worship must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). However, sometimes people attempt to worship according to their standards rather than God’s Standard (Leviticus 10:1-3). Not only are the actions (Truth) of worship necessary, but the attitude (spirit) must be right as well. When the actions and the attitude are right, worship accomplishes great things!
Worship exalts God! Surely the greatest accomplishment of worship is that it exalts and extols God Almighty! God is more than worthy of any praise and adoration we can give to Him. “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place” (1 Chronicles 16:25-27). When Isaiah saw the throne room of God, he heard the seraphim declaring, “…Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3b). John, the revelator, saw and heard a very similar chorus that included the four and twenty elders saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). True worship exalts God!
Worship elevates my spirit! Another unique aspect of worshipping our God is that when we offer true worship to Him, we elevate and uplift our own spirits. Joy was the direct result for the Psalmist when he entered to worship. “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). Paul and Silas understood the elevating nature of worship, and while they were in prison, they “…prayed and sang praises unto God…” (Acts 16:25b). Think for a moment personally; have you ever found yourself distraught and down, but when you worshipped God, your inner most being changed for the better? Worship elevates my spirit!
Worship edifies others! In fact, many of the problems the Corinthian church faced were directly linked to failing to worship properly. The Corinthians were not partaking the Lord’s Supper properly, and the result was “…many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 11:30). The Corinthians were misusing the miraculous, spiritual gifts, and the result was a lack of edification (1 Corinthians 14:26). Clearly, when worship is not given properly, anything but edification is the result. However, the opposite is true as well. When we offer true worship to our God, others are uplifted, built up and edified! Worship edifies others!
While mankind is certainly commanded to worship (Hebrews 10:23-25), worship for the sincere child of God is much more than a command. Worship, to the sincere Christian, is a privilege and an honor – an opportunity like no other! True worship gives me the opportunity to exalt God, elevate my spirit and edify others. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3).
