“I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the humble hear and be glad. 

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt his name together!”

-Psalm 34: 1-3

What is worship? What is the purpose behind it, and why do we do it?

As someone who serves on a worship team, I’ve often been asked these questions. 

What is worship?

Worship is more than the first twenty minutes of the church service and more than the intricate guitar riff and drum solo. Worship is one of the most selfless acts of kindness we can offer God. 

The word worship is defined as the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration towards a deity. In other words, it’s a musical way of thanking and telling God how good He is and how much we love Him. 

To be clear, though, worship is more than just singing songs to Him. It is a way of living. In Romans, Paul writes in chapter 12:1, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” In blatant terms – worship calls for a more profound action than just singing to Him.

Worship involves us presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, but it also involves us presenting ourselves as individual sacrifices. In the proper form of prayer, all the focus is on Christ, which calls for us to remove all of our doubts, worries, fears, business, etc., from the forefront of our minds so that all we think about, see, and feel is Christ. Worship calls for us to humble ourselves before the King so that we can partake in clear communication with Him. 

So- while we know what worship is, why do we do it? What is the purpose of it?

The overall purpose of worship is to praise God because He is worthy of all praise (Psalm 145:1), but inside the general purpose of worship is a mini-reason for why we praise Him. God is good – all the time-so why not tell Him that as much as we can? 

From the first chapter in Genesis to the end of Revelation, it is very transparent that we as humans were simply made to worship. We were made to rejoice in the Lord and the love that we undeservingly receive. In this, we complete what we are made for when we worship. We fulfill our purpose. Through the process of praise, we are also refreshed- returned to God’s radio. True worship allows for the communication line between Christ and us to be cleared up and focused on. 

We worship because it is what we were made for. 

As a worship leader, I have seen many lives change from participating in worship. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit move and work in those who fully surrender to Christ in worship. I love everything true worship is about. So, whether it’s a few songs at a church service or just one in your car on your way to work, worship Him. I promise your day will be better from it!!