God’s Design and Desire for Worship We have been made to worship, and there is no one more worthy of our worship than God. Through His word, God teaches us how to worship and why we should worship.
1) Worship is giving worth and devotion to something through your actions, your words, your priorities and so, essentially your whole your life in many different shapes and forms. Scripture tells us that we were created to give God our worship, love and devotion. Have you thought of worship in this way before? How does this look for you?
2) A key part of worship and praise is thanksgiving. They are often linked together in scripture. We learn from the story of the cleansed lepers (Luke 17:11-19) that God is wanting and waiting for our response to who He is and what He is doing in our lives. Do you practice regular thanksgiving? How does this look in your life? If not, ask God to show you one step you can take towards practicing gratitude and thanksgiving towards him in your daily life.
3) Worship is first our offering to God, not his offering to us, and asks us to worship Him to reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28-29). Have you approached worship in this way in the past or is this a new thought to you?
4) God has designed there to be wonderful benefits for us when we encounter his presence through praise and worship. We experience Joy, peace, hope, renewed strength, faith, courage, unity with our brothers and sisters and we fight back against the enemy. Have you experienced any of these in your past? If so, take time to share and testify examples of how the Lord has met you in worship or strengthened you for something you were facing for example. 5) Singing is a prominent feature of praise and worship in Scripture. It is referenced 400 times in scripture, 50 of which are commands to sing! Zac talked about how singing should be viewed as a spiritual discipline in our lives because of how often it is encouraged in scripture and how it connects the head and the heart in our brain. Do you join in singing during services or even sing on your own? If not, why? Ask God to give you his heart for singing and see if he is asking you to step out of your comfort zone and join in singing to him.
