Chapter 3
Worship: The Forgotten Art

Worship: by whose definition?
“The problem with your church is that you don't know how to worship!” thundered the visitor after attending a service at our church. We were all very interested in the harsh judgment and rather taken aback at the great freedom the person felt at liberty to exercise in putting us down. Naturally we had a keen interest in understanding where we were failing in this matter of worship. The criticism had caught us off guard as many of us found the worship time very refreshing and we looked forward to it eagerly every week.

We gently inquired as to where we were failing to measure up in the matter of worship. The person clearly enjoyed being asked for their judgment and commenced to share their wisdom with us about how we might greatly improve our worship of the Lord. First, we were informed that we needed a worship team up front to keep things moving. Then, we needed to use more modern hymns and lots of choruses. A band with drums and electric guitars would also help. We needed to get people clapping their hands and stomping their feet. "What you really need is a good shaking up!" our judge concluded.

Something deep inside of me was urging me to tell this person that much of what they described sounded exactly like the worship of people involved with primitive religions where the worshippers did much the same thing as they called on the spirits from the dark worlds. I managed to restrain myself, but just barely. This person spoke with such authority and conviction that I simply had to leave them in their ignorance lest they become even more frustrated with me than it was evident they already were.

Worship: a biblical view
Looking at worship from a Biblical perspective, we learn that it is the act of drawing near to God in submission to offer praise and thanksgiving. The Greek New Testament word for worship, "proskuneo", means to bow down and kiss the foot or the hem of the holy one's garment. It clearly conveys the idea of reverence, submission, and adoration.

As we observe the worship of God in the Old Testament, we easily recognize that the worshipper always brought something with him as an approach was made to God. Worship is drawing near to God and bringing with you that which allows you to draw near. In the Old Testament it was the sacrificial blood which allowed the worshipper to come into the presence of God. In the New Testament time we come to God by the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:19) and we offer the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of our lips.

When Abraham went to worship God, he understood that sacrifice was involved. So did Isaac! That was why Isaac asked his father about the missing animal for sacrifice. He had gone to the place of worship with his father many times and knew what was required to complete the act of drawing near to God.

Worship: a difficult exercise
It is interesting to observe that in most instances when someone says, "The Lord is good," they have just received some extraordinary blessing that sets them above the level of most Christians. When someone says, "Praise the Lord!" that exhortation is the result of some good thing coming into their life. It is easy to say God is good when all is well, but to praise the Lord when everything breaks loose, well now that is a different story.

For Abraham to draw near to the One who was afflicting him would require an incredible amount of grace. God had commanded Abraham to kill his only, and much loved son of promise. How could Abraham offer praise to such a God who was exacting this incredible price? It seems impossible to fathom how an act of praise and bowing down before God was possible. Instead of drawing near to the One afflicting him, Abraham must have been tempted to run away from Him.

However, we must do the thing that is very difficult. We must come before the One who seems to have wounded us and praise Him and thank Him for all his mercies. This is where many Christians balk. Tragedy strikes their home and they stop attending church, they cease to pray, they avoid contact with the One who appears to be the source of all their misery. "After all," they reason, "what good has it done me to follow the Lord?"

Suffering acts as a wedge
In some instances we might not blame a person for moving on, such as when they have miserable neighbours, or a difficult boss at work. To run from the scene of such pain and frustration could be the best thing to do. A fresh start or a new beginning is in order after some of life's more difficult alternatives. However, when it comes to having a fresh start apart from God, that is a different matter altogether. We may think that absenting ourselves from church and ceasing to have an active prayer life when adversity strikes is appropriate. However, the opposite is what is needed! We need more worship and prayer than ever before.

In John 6:66-69 we witness the aftermath of the most controversial sermon Jesus preached. It says that many of his disciples went back and walked no more with Him. They did not accept Jesus' teaching and therefore deserted Him. This is similar to what people do with God's difficult providence. They do not like it, so they turn away from Him. Peter makes a significant comment to our Lord when Jesus asked the twelve if they too would go away. In one of his most glorious moments Peter says, "Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and have come to know that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Peter is confused about some of our Lord's teaching also, but he is wise enough to know that his understanding of what Jesus said or did is not as important as remaining close to the good Shepherd. For some people it is a great dilemma. They reason that if God strikes them they ought to flee from Him. But if they flee from Him, where shall they go for the help they need? This is the paradox, the riddle of evil in the world.

It is commonly known that those who suffer great pain are either driven away from God in great bitterness of soul, or they are driven into His arms, confused and frightened. Those who turn to the God who seems to be afflicting them know that they must say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." The person in pain must move forward as though everything is all right when it appears that it is all wrong. Faith "sees" what sense does not.

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