What Is Worship?

Say "worship" and most people picture a band and a song. That's part of it — but the Bible's idea of worship is much bigger and much better. It reaches into every corner of an ordinary life.

Worship is about worth

The word itself comes from "worth-ship" — declaring the worth of something. To worship God is to recognize and respond to who he is: to give him the honor, love, and first place he deserves. Everyone worships something; the question is only what.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Psalm 95:6

More than music

Singing is a beautiful and biblical way to worship — Scripture is full of it. But it's one expression, not the whole thing. The New Testament stretches worship to cover all of life:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

Your body, your Monday, your work, your relationships — offered to God — become worship. Which means worship isn't confined to a room or an hour.

Ways worship shows up

• In song and praise — lifting your voice to God, alone and with the church.
• In how you work — doing ordinary tasks "as unto the Lord," with honesty and excellence.
• In how you treat people — love and justice are worship God actually notices.
• In generosity — giving as an act of trust and gratitude.
• In everyday obedience — the small, unseen choices to follow him.

Jesus said the worship God seeks isn't mainly about location or style, but about the heart:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

John 4:23

Where to begin

Start simple. Thank God each morning. Sing along, even off-key, when the church gathers. Do your next ordinary task as an offering to him. Worship grows not by trying to feel something, but by turning your attention, again and again, to a God who is truly worth it.