What Is Worship?
As worship musicians, we use the word worship a lot. But what exactly is worship?
We know that worship is not an instrument. A piano or a guitar, by itself, cannot worship. Worship is not an activity. Singing or dancing is not necessarily worship. Worship is not a creative work – a song or a spoken word. Worship is also not an environment – a stage with lights, an audience, and famous worship leaders.
So what is worship? The Bible tells us that worship is a condition of the heart. The Hebrew and Greek words for worship mean, “to ascribe the highest worth; to revere, honor, and love.” As we look at the Scriptures, we see that worship is three things:
First of all, worship is affection. Deuteronomy 5:8-9 says, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
Secondly, worship is praise. Psalm 66:4 says, “Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises.”
Third, worship is love. In 1 Chronicles 28:9, David tells his son Solomon, “Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart.” And in the New Testament, in Mark 12:30, Jesus instructs His followers, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart.” In one passage, we are to worship Him with all our heart; and in the other, we are to love Him with all our heart. It’s the same thing – because worship is love.
So worship is giving our affection, praise, and love to Jesus. One pastor says that worship is turning our affection towards the Lord. We don’t need an instrument to do that – it is something we do from our hearts. This is the heart posture that we carry with us when we touch our instruments. It’s not a performance; it’s about giving Him our affection, our praise, and our love. In that place, the instrument becomes an extension of our love.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.