Sometimes a song expresses a simple concept in a way that unlocks powerful revelation. “Worship starts with seeing you” by Matt Redman was one of these for me when I first heard it. In particular the following lines:
‘no-one can sing of things they have not seen. Lord open our eyes towards a greater glimpse…… Worship starts with seeing you…..Our hearts respond to your revelation’
There is an awesome truth revealed in these lines that true worship is a response to God. Worship is not something which is simply stirred up or forced. It is the natural, heartfelt response which comes from an understanding of who God is and what He has done.
One of the biggest temptations when leading a congregation into worship is to focus on the response itself. There is a visible outworking when somebody worships God – whether it is being joyful, clapping hands, shouting, being lost in awe and wonder, or simply smiling! However if we try through our own efforts, techniques, or even the way we play our music to simply produce a response we will either struggle or have times of worship that are empty and dry.
God wants more than a religious tradition or an inbred pattern of behaviour. God wants us to know Him. He wants us to know his character and His nature: That He is an all-powerful, omnipotent God, a loving Father, and a merciful saviour who has set us free.
So, how can we have awesome worship? I don’t claim to have all the answers but I think the following things all help:
- Have good songs which declare real biblical truth about God
- Make good use of scripture concerning who God is and His promises to us
- Give people reasons to respond rather than just instructing them to shout, clap, raise hands etc.
- Don’t berate people if they’re struggling to worship. Teach them about God, encourage them to have faith in His word and respond with a joyful heart.
- Overflow: Know God personally, be joyful, and model what it means to let that joy overflow in our worship
Most importantly, let’s be a people who seek earnestly after God and pray that we might know more of his life and presence in our churches.
July 5th, 2007 at 12:40 am
[...] check out the latest post on my worship blog: “Worship: A response to God“) [...]
July 5th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
great post.
thx 4 this reminder.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
this is great… I’ve definitely been guilty of berating people before. I’m trying to prepare a message on what worship is for a youth group and what I was presenting was going to be berating… Thanks for writing this =]
December 21st, 2011 at 11:07 pm
I like this too. I’m trying to write a paper abot worship in the book of Revelation and it seems; as God revealed Himself to John and as the 24 elders, the 4 creatures, and the angels in heaven we’re in the presence of God (Revealing presence you could call it) their proper and if not only response was worship. I am a worship leader and I find this key to understanding how to lead the people into worship. I am also looking to make this my thesis paragraph so I have to find some way to make it contraversial.
January 10th, 2012 at 12:46 am
is the world going to end this year?