Worship

Worship in the church is often discussed in many different settings. The questions that are most frequently asked are: what is worship? is there a right way to worship? Is raising your hands worship or is it when one closes their eyes and sings to their self? Many people take different stances on this topic and argue on what is the real meaning of WORSHIP. I think worship is an act of praising God and is meant for God alone and nobody else. There are many different styles of worship expressed in the Bible some including: vocally, stringed instruments, instruments of percussion, and wind instruments. It says clearly in the Word of God that believers are to praise the Lord. In Psalms 30:4- “Sing unto the LORD, O his saints, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness”. This includes everyone, including children; the Lord should be forever praised. We are so unworthy of him and the least we can do as humans is give him thanks for all he has given to us. We praise his different attributes including: his glory, his holiness, his wisdom, his power, his faithfulness, his goodness, his mercy, his continuance of blessings, and his salvation; the list goes on and on. In the Bible it repeatedly shows over and over how his people sang songs of praise to him, and this act has continued on and should never cease. It mentions in Psalms how David danced before the Lord, which is also seen as a form of Worship. A good point that was brought up in class is that Worship we do together, but Praise you offer to God alone. Most of the confusion with this topic comes down to the conflict over principle and preference. Principle being the Bible explicitly states worship is for God alone. Preference is what one prefers, because they like that style of music. It was also mentioned in class how just because you don’t like the style of music a church displays doesn’t mean it’s unbiblical. It was also said that not to hold your preference above the principle. In the end one must ask the question, does the music glorify God? I think everyone has their own special way of worshiping the Lord, some may raise their hands, close their eyes, run around and dance, or some may just keep to themselves and sing to God quietly. There is no right or wrong way to worship the Lord, whatever way you do it as long as it is honoring and glorifying God it completely correct.