I was driving by a church recently and saw a typical sign with the name of the church and order of services. “Worship Services,” it said. What is worship?

The first thing we know about God from the Word is that He is worthy to be worshiped. Psalm 29:2 reads, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (NIV).

One time the apostle Paul and Barnabas were so used by God that superstitious and ignorant people started sacrificing to them. Paul and Barnabas said, “No, don’t sacrifice to us! Worship God only” (see Acts 14:8–17).

We can admire people. We can respect people. But God is the only One we worship.

What does “worship” mean? It comes from a Hebrew word meaning to bow down before and exalt in the highest way possible the One we are worshiping.

In the Old Testament, the Lord’s people started to worship other gods, and that made God angry (see Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:14–15). Israel suffered a lot of punishment, even being sent away from the land God had given them, because they turned their backs on God and worshiped hideous idols (see 2 Kings 17:7–23). We are to worship God.

How should we worship? With our hearts, adoring God for who He is. In prayer we concentrate on our needs, in thanksgiving we concentrate on our blessings, but in worship we concentrate on who God is—His holiness, His faithfulness, His magnificence. Worship is the deepest of all.

The Bible, from beginning to end, talks about worship. In the book of Revelation, the atmosphere is nothing but people falling before God, worshiping Him (see Revelation 4:10–11; 7:11). We Christians, who will spend eternity with God where there won’t be any iPhones, thank goodness, will be in total concentration on God.

The modern mind is so distracted. It’s like the old joke about a preacher who said, “We’re going to sing ‘Take Time to Be Holy,’ but let’s just do the first verse.” No time to worship God. But read the Old and New Testaments—people took time to worship and adore God, to say words of worship from their hearts: “How great is our God! How greatly to be praised! How awesome are You, God!”

We can be singing praise and worship songs and not worshiping, because worship is a prostration of our souls before God. We can sing, “How great is our God . . .” and be thinking, “Wait a minute. I’ve got to text Joe,” then be back to “. . . sing with me, how great is our . . .” That’s not worship.

Sometimes the worship team can distract us from worshiping God. I once spoke at a church whose worship team members were bending themselves like pretzels as they sang. Worship has nothing to do with positions. We can lift our hands, the Bible tells us (see Psalm 134:2), but it has to be an expression of our hearts: “God, You are great. I am small. Oh, I worship You.”

The preacher can be a distraction too. To preach effectively, a minister should present Jesus and how great God is, then get in the background so people can worship God. It’s not about us or our churches.

Where do we go to worship? No place special. We can worship in the shower, brushing our teeth, sitting alone in a chair. We do not have to go to church to worship.

Now church can be conducive to corporate worship. When I walk into church on Sunday mornings to preach and the people are praising and worshiping, I feel their intensity, their heartfelt-ness. I want to get to my seat and worship God too. Worship is contagious. But Jesus said, “You don’t have to go to Jerusalem. You don’t have to go to Samaria. It doesn’t matter” (see John 4:20–24).

Here’s the clincher: Jesus said that the Father seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. What does that mean?

First of all, that’s amazing. Why would God seek anything? We’re supposed to seek God. Yet Jesus said that the Father seeks those, treasures those, who worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

The Holy Spirit who lives inside us, acting on behalf of our human spirits, helps us preach, love others, understand the Bible, and worship. Isn’t that an overlooked truth? With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can worship in Spirit—not just with our mouths or brains but with our hearts.

God also wants us to worship in truth—with total sincerity. We can’t act. If we want acting, we can go to Broadway. When we worship, we should worship in Spirit and in truth, bringing God our weaknesses, thanking Him for His mercy, and adoring Him with sincere love.

When I was a teenager, a family member gave me a Christmas present. There was a wall between me and this person. I was a smart aleck from Brooklyn, and I said, “Love you, thanks.” I no more loved that person than I love my keychain.

God wants total sincerity. “I love You, Lord. From my heart, I praise You with my spirit. I want to worship You.” God inhabits those praises.

More and more, as every day comes, let’s learn to become worshipers in Spirit and in truth.

Prayer

God, we love You, we praise You, and we worship You. Help us today not only to bring our needs to You, not only to give You thanks for what You’ve done in our lives, but also to find time in our day to worship and admire You for who You are.

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