By Pastor Alex Ruelo
Psalms 95:6 says, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” When you go to church, it is called worship time. When you play music, it’s worship time too. But in this verse, worship is given emphasis and given an extra gesture and expression. David wanted people to express their worship by bowing down.
What is worship? It is actually a mystery. Some people think worship is singing in a band. To others, it means singing from a book. Nowadays, worship is synonymous to music and contemporary singing. Different people have different means of expressing worship. It is an expression of how you feel.
But when there is no more music, it is still worship. When your family is going through something difficult and you give glory to God for everything that is happening around you, it is still worship. God wants your response. It does not matter whether there is music or not.
Ephesians 5:18-21 says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The heart of worship is the Lord Jesus Christ and everything He has done for you. Your singing and dancing and kneeling down is a mere expression of your worship. Because God looks at the heart and your response to Him.
In the Bible, they worshipped in so many different ways. They tear their clothes off, put ashes on their heads, bow down and genuflect. Nowadays, when you do that, people think you are over reacting. But it should not be. Worshippers should give their all to their Maker. It does not matter and it should not matter what people think. If somebody is singing off key, it should not matter. If you go to other churches and their culture is different, it should not matter. All that should matter is God.
John 4:21-24 says, “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” When your spirit is dead, how can you worship? When you still do not believe that Jesus died for you, how can you worship? He came so that you might have life. When you worship Him, your spirit will become alive and your worship will make sense. If you are disconnected with God, you cannot worship. When the music sounds great and everything is going well in your life, you can worship. If not, your worship is dead. But real worship is your response to God. The rest is just an expression of yourself.
When do you worship? Your response to God is your worship. You worship God at all times. All. In every place and circumstance, and in all situations, you worship God.
Worship God when you are sick. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh ( 2 Corinthians 12) and he still worshipped God because His grace is sufficient. He did not worship because he was healed. He worshipped because he was allowed to experience it.
Worship God in the middle of the storm. Job had everything and then it was all taken away from him (Job 1). His family, his businesses, his livestock. But his response to God was his worship. He did not get angry and blame God for his circumstances. The Lord gives and He takes away. When you are blessed and are in need, praise God still.
Worship God even when you sin. A lot of people cannot worship because of sin (Psalms 51). It is right to be ashamed because of your wrongdoings. They do not want to go to church and do not want to serve. But when David sinned, he asked God for restoration. He asked that God bring back his willingness to obey Him and do the right thing. God does not want your offerings. What He wants is your broken spirit and contrite heart. When you ask for forgiveness, God forgives. Right away.
Your response to God is your worship. When people say bad things about you, your response is your worship. When people do not listen to you, your response is your worship. When you have no food on the table and have no more strength to go on, your response is your worship. Sometimes, the melody in your life is gone. But you can worship even in silence.
Transform everything you do into worship. At work. In school. While driving. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Every little thing you do must be a form of worship. Be inwardly transformed. Your heart must be right before the Lord, but it must also show on the outside. Their response also depends on the things you do. Your words and actions are very important. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Offer yourselves up to God. Transform your heart and your mind. That is what God wants. Matthew 15:8-9 says, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” You worship God when you change the way you think. You sing even when there is no music. You pray even when there is no one listening. You praise God even when you are hurting. That is worship.