A Thought On Worship

The last two weeks in Sunday School, my class and I have discussed how we are to worship God. The lesson was near the beginning of a series we are doing on sanctification - the process of being made holy, becoming more like Jesus. We learned from John 4:24 that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth."
So what does this mean, to worship in spirit and in truth. Briefly, in order to be worshiping God we must be recognizing a truth about Him and responding to it emotionally. We learned that it is not enough to simply experience some emotions or to know various 'facts' about God. The truths about God must spark a heartfelt response in order for worship to occur. For example, after the Israelites were released from their enslavement in Egypt and then pursued by the entire Egyptian army to be brought back, God parted the Red Sea, allowed the Israelites to pass through, then destroyed the entire Egyptian army by releasing the Sea as they were crossing. Right after this account, we read a beautiful song that the Israelites sang. In it, they recognized that God was mighty, powerful, and good. They responded to these 'facts' by singing in excitement, joy, and thanksgiving.
An important note to make here is that this song could easily have been sung by a person who was not worshiping as she sang. If an unbeliever sings a hymn praising God for His holiness and forgiveness, it is not worship because she does not believe that what she is saying is true.
Another example of worship can be found in Job. After Job has received news that everything he owns has been stolen or destroyed and that all of his children have died, he falls to the ground and says, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord." Job recognized that God was in control over everything that had happened and that He had the right to allow whatever He wished. He responded in submission.
Although both these examples look very different, they are both examples of true worship. I urged my kids - as I urge you now - to take these things to mind this week as we go about our daily lives. Be on the lookout for opportunities to worship God. As you look for ways you will be amazed at the number of times in the day that He will reveal Himself to you in a multitude of ways. Remember, we were created for the purpose of glorifying God and we glorify Him by worshiping Him. If we are looking for opportunities to worship, we will never run short for we will be trying to do the very thing we were created for the express purpose of doing.