You Need a Bigger View of Worship

If you’d asked me to tell you about the ocean before I’d ever flown overseas, I’d have described the white sandy beaches of Southwest Florida. On a clear day, it’s hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins, because the horizon stretches into a single cyan oblivion. I’d have described the coast of the Pacific Northwest and how the icy waters pierce your toes as pools forms between patches of beach grass. I’d have told you about the smell of seaweed on the rocky coast of Maine and how the waves slam into jagged cliffs with a loud crash and then gently recede.

I thought I knew about the ocean, but it wasn’t until I sat on a flight from Chicago to London that I more fully understood. Sometime in the sixth hour of looking out my tiny airplane window and seeing nothing but water in every direction, my comprehension of the word “ocean” grew. The ocean was bigger and more all-encompassing than I’d ever imagined. And the same is true for our understanding of the word “worship.”

Ask a Christian woman how she worships, and there’s a good chance she’ll mention her favorite Spotify playlist. She might tell you that listening to worship music gives her a sense of calm as her sneakers crunch the gravel of her favorite walking trail. For others, the word might bring to mind gathering with other Christians on Sunday morning to sing, pray, take Communion, and listen to preaching from the God’s Word.

While these pictures and ideas describe elements of worship, we need to zoom out and broaden our view, like seeing the span of the ocean from the sky. Because whether or not we’re aware of it, we worship—all day, every day. We’re worshipers by nature, and we’re constantly giving our hearts and lives over to something or someone we hope will make good on his or her promises and give us the fulfillment we desire.

What Is Worship?

Biblical worship, in short, is our response to who God is and what he has done. The white-speckled peaks of a mountain range cause us to gasp in awe; the first bite of a warm cinnamon roll makes us groan with enjoyment—we’re creatures who respond. And just as we can’t help but grin at the giggle of a 3-month-old baby, we’re hardwired to respond when we see and encounter God.

But a response to God should be different from a response to a mountain peak or a baby’s smile, because God is infinitely good, unfathomably beautiful, perfectly holy, incomprehensibly wise, and full of steadfast love.

Whether or not we’re aware of it, we worship—all day, every day.

The only appropriate response is complete devotion to him. That’s why when people encounter God in up-close-and-personal ways in Scripture, they often fall on their faces (Gen. 17:3; Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 1:17). Tim Keller describes our complete devotion in response to God as “worth-ship,” the origin of the English word worship, saying, “Worship is seeing what God is worth and giving him what he’s worth.”

Perhaps you can begin to grasp that if worship is giving God what he’s worth, then it’s more than merely listening to worship music or going to church on Sundays. Worship is more than saying a few words of praise to God now and again or giving a portion of our income to the church. It’s both something we do and something we are.

Worshiping God is the lifelong, all-encompassing response of dying to self and living every moment unto him (Luke 9:23; 14:33; Col. 3:3). Worship requires that we surrender all we have to God and become his willing and adoring servants all our days (1 Cor. 3:9; Eph. 2:10; Col. 3:23–24. Worship is a continual posture of our hearts as we consistently react and respond to him and his work all around us (Ps. 71:8; Heb. 13:15).

Ultimate Example of Worship

The ultimate example of worship in Scripture is Christ himself. In his life, we see what a right response to God’s character, work, and authority looks like in everyday life.

Jesus used his words to worship. He showed his devotion to the Father through prayer and thanksgiving (Mark 6:41; Luke 5:16; John 17), bearing witness to God’s character and ways (Matt. 7:11; Luke 13:18–21; John 15).

Jesus also used his works to worship. He perfectly obeyed God’s law and commands as he went about his work (Matt. 12:1–14). His “food” was to do his Father’s will and accomplish his work (John 4:34). Through both public ministry and his private mundane moments, Jesus’s works glorified God (Matt. 15:30–31; Luke 7:44–50).

Worshiping God is the lifelong, all-encompassing response of dying to self and living every moment unto him.

Jesus worshiped God through his “why.” He was always focused on the Father, not on selfish ambitions or personal fulfillment, even as he enjoyed the blessings of the world, such as attending weddings (John 2:1–12) and sharing good food and drink with different people (Luke 7:34, 36; 9:16–17; 10:38–42; 14; 24:41–42).

Good News for Worshipers

The good news is that if you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have Christ’s perfect record of worship on your behalf (see Rom. 5:17–19). Your new spirit is compelled toward God to find deep joy in worshiping him (Ezek. 36:26), even though you wrestle with sins such as idolatry and pride.

The aim for us as believers is to keep our gaze continually fixed on Jesus so we wouldn’t forget our ultimate Lord and Savior. This requires removing distractions from our lives, regularly meditating on God’s Word, and putting ourselves in situations where we can dwell on God’s character and creation in awe. The goal isn’t to make things complicated or to check the box of  “I worshiped God today” but to genuinely express your love and appreciation for God.