What Is Worship? Part 2
Last week we talked about what worship is. When we recognize exactly why and who we are worshipping, it should make a difference in the way we live and the things we do. To that end, let's continue to dig deeper into what worship is and talk about the first direction of worship: Vertical Worship.
Vertical Worship - Expressing Our Hearts to God
Worship Is Not About Us
In modern worship, much of the music, the lights, and the atmosphere is built to bring emotion. It is about the self. In this, it can be easy for us to forget that worship is not about dredging up strong emotions or even making ourselves feel good. We cannot continue to walk down this path as the church. True Worship is an activity that is primarily directed towards God.
Worship Is About God
As we talked about in week one, we worship God because of who he is. Glory, honor, and attention goes to God alone and should not be centered around the self. This is what it means to worship vertically. We are speaking to God about who He is. This has a strong basis in Scripture from Jesus Himself. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In the prayer that Jesus gives us to show us how to pray, his first words are speaking to God about God’s glory. Jesus ascribes honor to him. We should be doing the same in our worship. Vertical worship speaks about the attributes of God and the actions he has taken that bring him glory.
“We desperately need to know in our hearts who God is.”
Worship Teaches Us Who God Is
In the end, why does it matter that we are singing about the greatness, the majesty, and the glory of God? God knows who He is. He is unchanging and all knowing. He does not need us to give meaning to his existence the way that someone complimenting or encouraging us might do. We tell God who not for his sake, but for our own. We desperately need to know in our hearts who God is.
For me, when I am learning a new topic or studying for a test, I learn through repetition. I make study cards and go through them over and over again until I have every part of them memorized. After that, I continue to go through them because I get worried that I will forget it all when the time comes.
We should be doing the same thing when it comes to learning to recognize who God is. We need to preach to ourselves about who God is. Telling ourselves of the creator God who is powerful, gentle, long-suffering, and just. We have to tell God who he is over and over so that when we are tempted to believe something contrary to what the Scriptures say, we are prepared. When we do this, we worship God by acknowledging who he is, and giving him the honor he deserves.
- written by Zach Masey
Zach is the Minister of Worship and Students at Redeemer and joined the team in early 2022. He and his wife Madison live in Terrell. You can connect with Zach here.