Perceptions #200150

"Defining Worship"

by Tom Chapin

To understand a Biblical word it is not enough to simply consult a Bible dictionary or lexicon. Certainly those will help, but it is equally important to lay the definition along side the actual usage to determine meaning. A few years ago I read through the Bible desiring to learn what God revealed about worship. For me it was the most instructive reading I had undertaken. I highlighted every passage that had to do with man's response to God. In processing my study, I then tried to define the word, or concept, worship. Here's my attempt.

Worship is a specific gift to God flowing from one's recognition of who God is and what God has done or will do.

The word gift in the definition implies my willing desire to honor and to please God. And the unnamed, but indispensable, ingredient in the definition is submission. Worship is submission.

Yes, this makes worship a broader concept than some allow. An example - usually a couple of times a month I prepare food for our congregation. Can that be a worship response to God? Yes. Is it always? No. The difference is found in my intention and my heart. Quite honestly, sometimes I cook and have no conscious thought that what I am doing is intended to be a gift to God. At other times I do, however. There are times when I begin the day by telling God that everything I do in the kitchen today is done because I want to honor him with the gift of heart, time and energy. It is my judgment that one does not give God a response of worship by accident. That means that there are times when I may be singing words that speak of worshiping God, but may not be worshiping, because it is certainly possible to engage in the act of singing without the heart and mind being involved.

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