What does it look like to PRAISE and WORSHIP God?
There are at least seven words in Hebrew that are translated with one English word, 'praise'. The same is true of the word 'worship'. Thus in the translation process, much of the meaning and intent is lost, and all nuance and subtlety is removed. It's up to the individual to decide what form praise and worship should take, and as a result of many factors, such as church tradition, peer influence, and cultural conditioning, many of us hold our feelings in and resist expressing our faith in either word or action.
But what if there was more to be experienced, and a greater intimacy of relationship with God to be gained, by knowing a little more about the way the characters of the Bible such as King David understood and lived out praise and worship?
|
In order to more completely walk out the scripture which exhorts us to worship in spirit and truth, and to experience the peace and fullness of joy that is found in God's presence, it is beneficial if we understand what these words actually mean, and how we can realize them in our everyday life.
It involves singing loudly, shouting enthusiastically, dancing with abandon, playing musical instruments, lifting and clapping hands. It also involves postures of submission and yielding, such as laying with the face flat to the ground, kneeling, bowing in humility, or crouching like a dog licking it's master's hand.
The Bible says that as we approach the Lord we are to come with praise and with worship in our hearts and mouths. Not only does it tell us to do this, but in the original languages it also tells us how to praise, and how to worship, by vividly describing what it looks like when we truly engage ourselves.
|
It is much more than an intellectual pursuit or mental assent to His greatness.
It involves the whole person, spirit, soul, and body.
It involves the whole person, spirit, soul, and body.