Worthy of Worship

6/26/2024

Written By: Paige Wassel

Last week, I traveled with several high schoolers from Victory Christian Church to Johnson University in Tennessee for a Christ In Youth (CIY) conference. While the week had many memorable moments, our daily time spent singing songs of worship to God stood out as one of the most moving parts of this event. Every morning and evening, I was inspired watching hundreds of young people singing at the top of their lungs—eyes closed, hands lifted high. This worship held power, as we proclaimed ancient truths from Scripture about the enduring character and nature of God, his faithfulness, and how he is working in our lives.

Merriam-Webster defines worship as “to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power” and “to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.” It is frequently used as a verb, something we put into action.

The idea of worship as praise, adoration, and paying reverence to God is the one we most often associate with the word in Scripture. When we worship God, we affirm our belief that he is WORTHY. Worthy to be followed, believed, praised, served, and shared with others. As the thousands of angels around God’s throne declare in Revelation 5: “‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’”

Through worship, we acknowledge God’s place above us, putting our hearts in proper position to proclaim him as Lord, thus declaring him to be above any other person or ideal in our lives. As Jesus responded when the devil invited his worship in Luke 4:8: “‘It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

We ultimately worship God for making a way to bring us back to him, removing the sin that separated us from his presence through the sacrifice of his perfect son on a cross. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

In response to his great love for us, we offer up every aspect of our lives to be used by God. While we often connect worship with singing, we also worship God through our prayers, reading Scripture, by being generous, and through acts of service. Worship shouldn’t just be an activity we check off a spiritual to-do list, but something that defines how we live each day—loving God and loving others.