The heart of worship
"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps 42:1-2, NKJV)
It is so important to understand the ‘active’ nature of worship. Not active in the sense of singing or clapping (although these do have a place in worship and will be looked at latter), but in the sense of desiring, thirsting, or longing. Christ Bowater (1986, pg 20) described this longing as “A desire to know God, to meet with him. This is the key to Spirit-filled worship of God. Without this desire to stand in his presence, worship becomes a fruitless experience”. Psalm 42:1-2 (as quoted above) and Matt 5:6 shows the intensity of true biblical worship - a longing and need for God. How different this is from focusing on the superficial veneer of style and technique.
In essence worship is the deep desire and longing for God. The following are just a few examples: Ps 27:8, 14; Ps 63:1; Prov 8:17; Jer 29:13; Deu 4:29; Lk 10:42.
This understanding of worship as a deep hunger, leads onto the most famous scripture relating to worship, John 4:20-24 (esp v24):
"“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”" (Jn 4:24, NKJV)
What does it mean to worship in “spirit and truth”? In the light of what has just been stated about worship; to worship in spirit is to express that deep yearning for God, always remembering that it is a response to the love of the Father towards us (John 3:16). Worship is not the expression of an intellectual agreement “I must worship”, or even an emotional desire to worship “I feel like worship”. True worship, that which God desires comes from the depth of a man’s being – the spirit. To worship in truth is to long for a ‘true’ understanding and knowledge of God. This is one of the defining principals of Biblical worship that separates it from an emotional high or euphoria. True worship is a deep longing to ‘really’ know God.
"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps 42:1-2, NKJV)
It is so important to understand the ‘active’ nature of worship. Not active in the sense of singing or clapping (although these do have a place in worship and will be looked at latter), but in the sense of desiring, thirsting, or longing. Christ Bowater (1986, pg 20) described this longing as “A desire to know God, to meet with him. This is the key to Spirit-filled worship of God. Without this desire to stand in his presence, worship becomes a fruitless experience”. Psalm 42:1-2 (as quoted above) and Matt 5:6 shows the intensity of true biblical worship - a longing and need for God. How different this is from focusing on the superficial veneer of style and technique.
In essence worship is the deep desire and longing for God. The following are just a few examples: Ps 27:8, 14; Ps 63:1; Prov 8:17; Jer 29:13; Deu 4:29; Lk 10:42.
This understanding of worship as a deep hunger, leads onto the most famous scripture relating to worship, John 4:20-24 (esp v24):
"“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”" (Jn 4:24, NKJV)
What does it mean to worship in “spirit and truth”? In the light of what has just been stated about worship; to worship in spirit is to express that deep yearning for God, always remembering that it is a response to the love of the Father towards us (John 3:16). Worship is not the expression of an intellectual agreement “I must worship”, or even an emotional desire to worship “I feel like worship”. True worship, that which God desires comes from the depth of a man’s being – the spirit. To worship in truth is to long for a ‘true’ understanding and knowledge of God. This is one of the defining principals of Biblical worship that separates it from an emotional high or euphoria. True worship is a deep longing to ‘really’ know God.
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