Who Do We Worship?
[This post is part of the Experiencing Remarkable Worship devotional series]
If we are going to experience remarkable worship, we need to start with asking who the Bible instructs us to worship. Bear with me, even though this seems basic, because at times we have a counterfeit image of reality.
Christian or not, everybody worships. History is filled with different images or various forms such as mountains, trees, the sun, cows, crocodiles, bulls, blocks of stone, and more worshipped. Today numerous people worship what they believe to be a god but are left unfulfilled.
First, I’m going to let the Bible speak for itself to establish a foundation.
Who the Bible Instructs to Worship
The Bible instructs us to worship God. Check out these verses:
- For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4 ESV
- Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV
- Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:8-10 ESV
There are instances that talk about worshipping Jesus. See the verses below:
- And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Matthew 28:9 NASB
- And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: Luke 24:52 ESV
- Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9 – 11 ESV
What about worshipping the Holy Spirit? I couldn’t find any verses that specifically instruct us to worship the Holy Spirit. Since He is a part of the Trinity, it seems out of place not to include Him in our worship. Songs that invite the Holy Spirit to have His way or come among us seem appropriate.
We Don’t Always Worship Who We Should
The idols of our lives are disguised as persons, places, and activities. We get hung up with adoring these other parts of our lives like a fly gets caught in a spider’s web. God knew we would do this, however, so He commanded us to worship Him. He started out the 10 Commandments by instructing us not to have any other god but Him (Ex. 20:3). Jesus told us the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with our all (Mt. 22:37-38).
God desires for us to know Him—that He is the only real God!
Not knowing who God is can be a hindrance to our worship. I encourage you to look up His attributes in the Bible. Study His character. What He wears even. When my eyes are opened to who He is, I feel stirred inside. I start to feel electrified and worship begins to pour out from deep inside.
God is love.
He is merciful and good.
Forever powerful and faithful.
He is matchless in glory.
Holy, just, and pure.
Savior!
Healer!
Deliverer!
Redeemer!
(See? I can’t help it!)
When we worship God we are completely fulfilled, but when we worship idols we are left empty. Click To Tweet
Implementation
Today we have been talking about who the Bible instructs us to worship. Let’s put this into action. You may want to write the verses from this application section in your journal, and/or highlight them in your Bible. My prayer for you is that God would meet you in this moment.
- Read. Isaiah 42:8 NASB I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
- Reflect. Look into your heart. Have you been worshipping anyone or anything other than Him?
- Read. Psalm 95:3 ESV For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
- Pray. Let God know you are making Him the only one you worship.
- Worship. Praise your great King!
How have you experienced God lately?
*This post has been linked up
Do you feel like you don’t need to spend extra time teaching your kids about God because they go to church? The church is definitely there for your kids, but the teachers goal is to reinforce what is (hopefully) taught at home. Let’s follow the command of God to teach them at home (Duet. 11:19). I have created a printable kids version of the above with similar content. It’s free! Click below to download or print.
Click to access the FREE Imparting Virtues Lesson
Don’t miss the other great posts in the Experiencing Remarkable Worship Series:
- Experiencing Remarkable Worship
- Who Do We Worship?
- 4 Reasons I Will Worship God
- When You Worship
- Worship: God Likes Noise and Demonstration
- Worship Where You Are
- 5 Steps to Thriving in Worship
- When God Feels Far Away While Worshipping
Kelly, what a reminder this morning to relentlessly root out the idols of my life. Just when I’m doing okay…well, that’s a signal I’ve got a big ‘ol idol taking up space in my heart. Glad to be here today!
Sometimes I finally realize (with God’s help) that my motive was wrong which usually is a big red flag that I have an idol in my heart. Glad to see you here, too!
Yes, everybody worships. Even those who think they don’t. It’s just a matter of our “what”. Our objects of worship differ. I’m so grateful that we have a Lord who is worthy of our worship in every way! Thanks for sharing this, Kelly.
Yes, He is! Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Lisa!
You’re taking my eyes to worship. So many good bits and pieces here. I loved the visit via #thoughtprovokingThursday.
Thanks so much, Kristi! I’m delighted to see you here. 🙂