The Power of Worship

Praise is the key to unlocking God’s blessing in our lives. It can lead us like nothing else to greater intimacy with Him. That’s why it’s important we understand exactly what praise means to us as believers.

Psalm 100:4 declares, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name” (NASB). The Hebrew word for “praise” in this verse means “celebration; lauding someone or something that is worthy.” When we praise God, we’re celebrating His goodness and declaring truths about His worthiness. We celebrate Him for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. With our praise, we acknowledge His greatness.

You Need to Worship!

Whereas praise is one directional (we praise God; He does not praise us), worship is relational. It’s not just based on our communion with God, but also His communion with us.

God has placed within every human being a hunger to worship, to connect with Him, and to love Him with all our hearts. God wants to satisfy that hunger as we direct our devotion and adoration toward Him – the one true God.

Worship is expressed in countless ways in many different church traditions and cultures. Yet true, God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-led worship always involves expressions of gratitude, awe, and devotion. Simply put, worship is a marriage of two words – “worth” and “ship.” When we worship with sincerity, we are literally expressing back to God His enormous worth or value in our lives.

God does not want you to worship Him because He needs your worship. He wants you to worship Him because you need that kind of intimate connection for yourself and because He is completely worthy of your devotion!

When you worship the Lord, you acknowledge that there is a higher being who is greater than you are. You acknowledge that there is a living God and that He is Lord over your life. This will cause you to draw upon His strength for victory in every situation you face.

Worship will lift you up and out of the troubles of this world and set you in the realm of His Spirit. There the Lord can shower you with His presence and confirm that He is in control of all things!

As an old hymn reminds us, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms.” True worship brings us to that peaceful place where we exchange our worries for the incredible joy of intimate friendship with the Living God.

Worshiping God 24/7

In all ways, worship is an attitude. Worship is something that you carry in your heart in your day-today life. The Word says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17 NIV).

So whether you are doing housework, schoolwork, business-related work, or whatever your hands find to do, do the very best you can, recognizing that you can accomplish it only through God’s strength. When you do this, you are actually worshiping and giving God glory, and you will be blessed and rewarded.

God’s Word says, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Whatever we find ourselves doing, we are to do it by the Spirit and in recognition that we are a living vessel of worship to the Lord.

When you think of God as your loving Boss, Teacher, or Audience, you will feel an incredible motivation to do your job well. When you strive for excellence to honor God in your work, you will find yourself excelling in life, and you will be blessed. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3 NLT).

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Excerpted from Simple Steps to a Grateful Heart, © 2019 Inspiration Ministries.

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