Jeremy P. Wakefield
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth,” explained Jesus.[1] But what is worship? What does worship mean? The first appearance of the word worship is recorded in Genesis 22:5. “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” It becomes evident that this test of Abraham’s faith and that his worship would be very personal. But one thing that should not be missed. Abraham said, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship.” Clearly this worship would the corporation of God, Abraham, and Isaac. There is an aspect of faith involved in worship. Faith, not in his own boldness to go and worship despite the circumstances, but recognition of and reverence toward the One who called him to lay his greatest blessing down.
Facing a severe test, knowing that he has been asked to give up his greatest possession and the biggest blessing in his life, Abraham staggered not[2] at his trust in God. Abraham, who loved his only son Isaac, was willing to give him back to God because God had the preeminence in his life.[3] Abraham demonstrated true worship.
Likewise, Job in dust and ashes, with everything ripped from his hands, worshipped God.[4] That is trust.
God is still seeking such personal worship of Him. William J. McRae notes the song of Israel in Exodus 15 and suggests that “beyond the blessings they saw the Blesser, and in His presence they declared His worth.”[5] Worship is declaring the worth of God. It is not assigning worth to Him as if He needs our commendation; but it affords blessed men the privilege to sing back the truth about who He is and what He has done – specifically for them on an individual (personal) level, as well as in the collective (corporate) atmosphere.
Eric E. Wright clarifies that “worship is not entertainment, per se, although true worship ought to be enlivening. Worship is not a product we peddle to attract people to church, although nothing is so attractive as genuine worship. Nor is worship something we go to church to get – consummate consumers that we are.”[6] He continues: “Worship is an offering we bring to God in response to who he is and what he does.”[7] It is imperative that personal worship – beginning with “me” – returns to this basic understanding and appreciation of worship. Then public and corporate worship will see the benefit. The contemporary approach to “worship” is self-oriented instead of theocentric. But the Scriptural approach to true worship “begins with an august, holy God who is to be adored,” says John H. Armstrong.[8] Too much of modern worship appears to say, “Look at me.” Biblical worship calls attention to “Him” and to Him alone. Armstrong adds that “this historic and biblical approach does not see public worship as focusing on man’s cleverness or creativity, but rather on God’s holiness.”[9] This explains why neither Abraham nor Job made an attempted to figure out how to get out of their ultimate test. Rather, they stood before God in worship. They confronted God with trust and patient waiting.
Worship is not confined to cloudless days but is a beacon of brightness in the darkest night. They that worship him must worship him for who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do according to His word and character. Some of the sweetest moments of personal worship are when I am alone in the woods, taking a walk with God. I’ve grown to learn how much I need those quiet moments alone with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I long for such worship in those times because I feel that it becomes purer than in the public space. Furthermore, it enhances public worship because it readies my heart. “When the Spirit of God is in control,” says McRae, “worship begins with God.”[10] How often am I guilty of self-serving attitudes and platitudes of prayer when my trial, which pales in comparison to that of Abraham’s or Job’s, obscures my path and breaks my heart! Rather than accusing God my worship should acknowledge God. Jonathan Edwards was a man that believed and taught that “God’s overriding purpose and priority is the display and furtherance of his own glory.”[11] Could it be that worship in my weariness, weakness, and worthlessness “redounds to the glory of God”?[12] This is what the ungodly of Romans 1 miss concerning the glory of God. They refuse to recognize God for who He is and what He has done. Ron Man notes that “the foundation of sin is the failure, actually the refusal, to worship God and give him the honor and thanks he is due; it’s a refusal to glorify him. But as the culmination of his saving work he returns believing people to an attitude and lifestyle of worship.”[13] This Abraham and Job got right. That I long to do: to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. “Worship is the business of heaven, the preoccupation of heaven…”[14] As the disciples were preoccupied with the things of this world, a true worshipper poured out her worship on Jesus in a display of love that God forever memorialized in His Word.
In Mark 14:1-9 a beautiful worship service unfolds in the house of Simon the leper. The gospel writer paints a vivid picture of personal worship. And that, explains Ron Man, is a crucial point. “Worship is our gift to God – the only thing he seeks from those to whom he has given everything – but we must always realize that the idea of worship, the inclination to worship, the desire for worship, and the ability to worship come only as a result of God’s gift to us: his saving initiative in our lives and the enabling work of the Holy Spirit.”[15] Succinctly defined, worship is loving God with all our heart, all our being, all our mind, and all our might. It is cherishing Him. It comes easier to cherish Him publicly; but to adore Him in private helps me greatly. Alone with God there is no reason for pretense or pressure. Alone there is the temptation to put God off until a more convenient time. But when alone I choose a personal time of worship and communion with Him, He can speak directly to me. “In worship, God is calling us to wholeness; but first He must reveal our brokenness and our blemishes.”[16] And if anything, when it is just me and God, my brokenness and blemishes are known. A valuable example to my personal worship is the personal worship of David in the Psalms. For example, Psalm 145 began as a private meditation of David. As Eric E. Wright notes, “Reality in worship will be seriously stifled if it is not fed by our own personal study of the Bible, our meditation on the Lord, and our life of private prayer.”[17] Personal and private worship enhances corporate and public worship.
Considering Abraham, Job, and the worshipping woman of Mark 14 it would not be far off to say that their worship began within before it was exposed without. There was an individual, invisible worship going on long before it was manifested outwardly. No one can live with me twenty-four hours a day, seven-days a week, but God. And no one knows me more intimately than the Holy Spirit. I confess publicly but quickly agree in private, that He has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. There is no one dearer to me than Him. He merits all my praise. He deserves all the glory. All that I am, I owe His grace. Personal worship stands in contrast to corporate, public worship in that I know what He did for me. As I study His Word privately, when I choose to sing unto Him when I am all alone, those moments of conversation in prayer throughout the day, when I am choosing to sing the song of Moses: “I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously… The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him”[18] – that is valuable worship. Having worshipped Him alone I can enter the audience of the redeemed and with resounding voices proclaim: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain….”[19] I am learning day by day the joy and benefit of private and personal worship. To sit down at the piano and play for Him alone has brought a greater appreciation to my heart of what I am singing about when I sing a hymn to His praise. Through journaling during Bible reading, I feel more engaged with the Word of God. It causes me to slow down and let His Word penetrate my thoughts and heart. Rather than mouth a quick prayer to start the day, my goal is to “pray without ceasing.”[20] I enjoy our talks. He always listens. But what He has to say is far greater than anything I can muster. But a gift of three words will do: He is worthy.
Footnotes:
[1] John 4:24.
[2] Romans 4:20.
[3] Colossians 1:18.
[4] Job 1:20.
[5] William J. McRae, “The Nature of True Worship,” Emmaus Journal 06:2 (Winter 1997): 224.
[6] Eric E. Wright, “Seeking Balance In Worship,” Reformation and Revival 09:3 (Summer 2000): 25-26.
[7] Wright, “Seeking Balance In Worship,” 26.
[8] John H. Armstrong, “How Should We Then Worship?” Reformation and Revival 02:1 (Winter 1993): 11.
[9] Armstrong, “How Should We Then Worship?” 11.
[10] McRae, “The Nature of True Worship,” 224.
[11] Ron Man, “Worship And The Glory Of God,” Reformation and Revival 09:2 (Spring 2000): 81.
[12] 2 Corinthians 4:15.
[13] Man, “Worship And The Glory of God,” 86.
[14] Man, “Worship And The Glory of God,” 87.
[15] Man, “Worship And The Glory of God,” 88.
[16] Warren W. Wiersbe, Real Worship (Nashville, Tennessee: Oliver-Nelson, 1986), 37.
[17] Wright, “Seeking Balance In Worship,” 39.
[18] Exodus 15:1-2.
[19] Revelation 5:12.
[20] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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