I know what’s happening in God’s throne room right now.
And no, I haven’t had been granted a vision of heaven, but the Apostle John got a glimpse and he told us all about it.
God is being worshiped. Continually. Day and night. The citizens of heaven never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come.
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
For you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Revelation 4:8, 11, NIV
God created us to glorify – or worship – Him (Isaiah 43:7). Worship is our earthly purpose and our eternal destiny. Because we were wired to worship God, we can only find true joy, peace, and contentment when we worship Him. People who “serve and worship created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25) will never be fully content.
“Worship” is considered a spiritual discipline we can practice to pursue a godly life. Do you purposefully practice worship?
What is worship?
“Worship” is recognizing the greatness and majesty of the one, true God and responding to Him in a way He deserves. It begins with an inward attitude of repentance, submission, reverence, and honor and can be seen in an outward response of obedience and service. Worship can also be physically expressed with actions such as kneeling, laying prostrate, or raising your hands to heaven.
Worship is the proper response to our holy God. Worship focuses all of who we are on all of who God is.
In his book [amazon_link id=”1576830276″ target=”_blank” ]Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life[/amazon_link], Donald Whitney makes this connection between worship and spiritual discipline:
“But is we would be Godly, we must focus on God. Godliness requires disciplined worship.”
How can we foster worship?
If worship is the proper response to who God is – to His holiness, then one of the best ways to foster worship in our own heart and lives to is study the nature of God. Although we can never fully comprehend our unfathomable God, we can grow in our understanding. And as our understanding grows, so will our worship.
If you are serious about growing your understanding of God, I have some reading recommendations for you:
- Of course, His own Word, the Bible
- [amazon_link id=”0060684127″ target=”_blank” ]The Knowledge of the Holy,[/amazon_link] A.W.Tozer
- [amazon_link id=”084992085X” target=”_blank” ]Holiness,[/amazon_link] Henry Blackaby
- [amazon_link id=”0842339655″ target=”_blank” ]The Holiness of God,[/amazon_link] R.C. Sproul
How do we practice worship?
God gives us a picture of worship in Isaiah 6. Like John, Isaiah had a vision of God seated on His throne. When Isaiah saw God in all His holiness, he was impacted with the reality of his own sin. Here’s what Isaiah did to respond to God in appropriate worship:
- Confession and repentance
- Submission to God’s will and ways
- Obedient service
Worship is unique among the spiritual disciplines. To properly practice any of the others we should also be engaging in worship. If worship is “focusing on who God is and responding appropriately,” then we should be worshipping when we’re praying, when we’re serving, when we’re reading our Bible, and so forth.
Let’s focus on God and respond to Him with everything He deserves!
What do your outward expressions of worship look like?
Thank you for sharing the reading recommendations! To answer your question about outward expressions of worship, a few years ago I started practicing a more worshipful position in prayer, on my knees with my forehead to the carpet. It has deepened my focus, my praise and my prayer time (both listening and speaking).
Hi Jeanette! Thanks for sharing your physical expression of worship with us. It’s a wonderful way to humble ourselves before God and foster the attitude in our hearts that He deserves! I need to do the same more often.
I love experiencing the solid joy and happiness from doing something God created us for — like worshipping Him! It’s amazing to look back and see how I’m happiness when I’m doing His will.
Good point here: “Although we can never fully comprehend our unfathomable God, we can grow in our understanding. And as our understanding grows, so will our worship.”
I worship through praise, prayer, and reveling in His awesome-ness.
That should have been “how I’m happiest…” #MorningTypos :-)
Caroline, I love this phrase: “reveling in His awesome-ness!”