Worship is critical because it’s the key to God’s presence. It’s what brings us intimacy with the Father; worship is a two-way communication.
May the following article that Nancy wrote back in 2007 be a blessing to you as you take time to focus on why worship is so important for the times in which we live. We thank all of you for your prayers and concern for our dear Nan this year. We know that JEHOVAH-ROPHE (her Healer) has heard and will continue to hear all the prayers on her behalf.
Go to kingshighway.org to get the latest update on Nan’s healing process.
We at The King’s High Way Ministries pray that this Christmas season brings a new revelation of adoration and worship as you draw closer to the Lord. May it revolutionize your spiritual walk in 2014.
The book Private Worship was written from my own personal journey, where I had become so discouraged and so disheartened at some of the horrific events in my life that I had lost the joy of my salvation. I tried to remedy it by praying more, going to more Bible studies and giving more things over to the Lord. But still, I remained shut down and joyless.
The event that finally changed my life was seeing the word “worship” at every turn. You know how it is when God tries to get your attention, He allows you to hear His voice everywhere. So, I began to question myself, “Do I personally really worship the Lord?”
Over time, He answered me: “Nancy, you don’t even know what worship means, and that’s why you have no joy.”
Now, I’ve been a Christian for over 50 years, so you’d think that I would at least have a handle on what true worship is. The truth that the Lord showed me was, yes, I praised Him; yes, I read His Word; and yes, I confessed and repented of my sins on a daily basis. But, after I did these things, I would get up and go about my business, without a thought about truly worshiping Him. Oh, yes, every once in a while, I would raise my hands in church or fall on my face to pray for something specific, but He showed me that on a daily basis and on a personal level, I had never entered into worshiping Him and adoring Him. As a result, when the trials hit, I lost the joy of my salvation.
Psalm 16:11 links joy and worship together: “…only in [His] presence [through worship], is there fulness of joy.”
Worship is defined as simply a divine encounter with God. It’s coming into His presence, bowing down, falling down and showing Him our complete reverence. Worship is the place that God promises to “meet with us,” because worship is something that is done on the inside; i.e., in our spirit. As Jesus tells us in John 4:23–24, “the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” Most believers know that they have a responsibility to worship, but when asked to define what true worship means or how it’s done, they are unable to offer any answers.
Whom Do We Worship?
Man, in general, has an inbuilt need to express his love and gratitude to some deity and that “someone” is who determines his worship.
Believers can worship the Lord with all their heart and soul because they have already invited Him into their lives—their spirits have already been united with and quickened by His Spirit. In other words, believers in Christ can “internally” communicate their love of the Father through the spirit. John 6:63 validates this: “It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing….”
Nonbelievers, on the other hand, cannot really worship the Lord in this way because their spirits are not yet united with or quickened by God’s Spirit. In other words, they cannot “internally” communicate or fellowship directly with the Father. They can only have an external form of worship. Therefore, they cannot personally or intimately know the Father. Listen to John 3:5–6: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” We often read about being created with a “God-shaped hole” in our hearts. And, it’s so true: without an intimate, internal relationship with Christ, nothing on earth will ever fill us.
Though God does not need our worship, He is seeking those who are worshipers. (John 4:23–24) Thus, one of the reasons we worship is to minister and to bless Him. Worship is the time we forget about ourselves, concentrate on Christ and experience His presence.
What Makes Worship so Important?
Worship is important because, as Tozer once said, “…it’s the reason Christ came, the reason He was crucified and the reason He rose again.” Furthermore, the entire book of Revelation concerns the importance of worship and what God thinks of worship. Listen to Revelation 4:8–11 as an example: “The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Other pertinent Scriptures are Revelation 11:16 and 19:4.
There are many other Scriptures in the Word that tell us God is seeking true worshipers. Scriptures like Psalm 95:6–7: “Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand…” And Psalm 99:5, “Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy.”
Worship is critical because it’s the key to God’s presence. It’s what brings us intimacy with the Father. In other words, worship is a two-way communication. We come into His presence by loving, adoring and exalting Him. He then makes Himself known by communicating His Love and His inspiration (and revelation) back to us. This, of course, results in inexpressible joy for us.
This daily communion is what allows us to endure difficult circumstances. If we are hearing from the Lord and keeping our eyes only on Him, we can withstand anything. Worship, then, is not only the key to intimacy, it’s also the key to withstanding trials and problems and restoring the joy of our salvation.
What Is the Purpose of Worship?
The goal and purpose of worship is to magnify, exalt, love and adore the only true God, Jesus Christ. In other words, worship is simply a prayer of relationship in which the “created” magnifies the “Creator.” It’s our expression of His worthiness. When we worship, we join the angels, the cherubim, the seraphim, the prophets, the apostles and the host of heaven falling down on their faces and exalting the one and only true God. Listen to Revelation 7:11–12, “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.”
I truly believe that if the Body of Christ were really taught how to genuinely worship, it would revolutionize the Church! Noah worshiped God, and as a result a brand new creation was born. (Genesis 6:9,18; 8:16–9:3) Abraham built an altar and worshiped the Lord and, again, a whole nation resulted. (Genesis 12:7) Moses worshiped the Lord, and because of his obedience, God freed an entire people from the bondage of slavery. ([Exodus 34:1–8]a9https://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Exd&c=34&t=KJV)) Men and women who truly learn to worship can change their world!
It’s interesting to note that prior to Moses’ revelation of God’s glory on Mt. Sinai, he prayed, interceded, wept and pleaded with God, but he never worshiped. In other words, Exodus 34:8 is the first mention of him worshiping the Lord. This tells us that we too can pray, seek, weep, plead and call on the Lord, and yet never really worship.
Even though the Lord is a Spirit, He still is passionate and expresses emotion. Our worship should, also, be emotional and passionate as we express our love for Him. Worship is not simply an act of our willpower, but an all-consuming yearning in our spirit, as well as an overflowing of our emotions of gratitude and love. Throughout the Bible, you will see the prophets, the priests and the people of God unabashedly prostrating themselves and worshiping the Lord. Consequently, worship involves all of our mental, emotional and spiritual faculties, but the specific place we worship and express our love is in our spirit. Remember John 4:23–24, “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
So to summarize, the purpose of worship is to adore, praise and love Him in the same nature as He is—in the spirit.
As we celebrate Christ this season, it’s helpful to know some of the specific names and characteristics of Jesus. Here are few names and attributes of Jesus to help personalize your prayer and worship time with Him: (More specific names and characteristics of Jesus—can be found on pages 101–105 in Private Worship.)
- JEHOVAH-JIREH: The Lord will Provide; “jireh” (“to see” or “to provide”). God is our Provider & Provision, adequate—more than enough.
- JEHOVAH-ROPHE: The Lord Who Heals; “rophe” (“to heal”); implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing.
- JEHOVAH-NISSI: The Lord Our Banner. HE is our victory.
- JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord Our Peace. “Shalom” translated “peace” means “whole,” “finished,” “fulfilled,” “perfected.” Shalom means peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship to God and to one another.
Psalm 16:11 again, “…only in His presence [through worship] is fulness of joy!”
