AN INTIMACY IN WORSHIP
	by Steve Hudson

"Do I have to do THAT?"  "What is all THAT about?"  "Do I have to raise my hands 
and clap like THAT?"  "Why are they singing their own phrases?"  These are many 
of the questions that one ponder when they are confronted with a way of worship-
ing God than they are used to, if they are more of a reserved individual.

Worship.  The term comes up so often, yet it remains a mystery all the same.  What 
exactly is worship?  As one looks about him or her, they see others in the congrega-
tion, worshiping in odd and unusual ways such as raising their hands, clapping and 
dancing, singing with tears steaming down their cheeks, bowed in humble silence, 
et cetera.

Why do we worship?  Worship is basically keeping in touch with God, if I may loosely 
put it as so.  Worship is experiencing a reality; "breaking into and invading the pre-
sence of God," something we were made to do.  We are destined to worship--it’s how 
we were created, to worship eternally.

Worship is not a section of a day, or a day of a week; worship is a lifestyle. It is some-
thing you do continuously.  True worshipers dedicate the way they talk, the way the 
work, the way they study, to worshiping God through it all.

I do have to bring up what worship is NOT.  Worship is not an escape.  Yes, we all 
have our issues, things are trying to deal with, but worship is not meant to be a 
"drug to get high on."  Many are addicted (which I am working on, as well) to the 
emotionalism of dancing and clapping in order to get a rush, to temporarily forget 
about their issues and problems.  If you enter into worship with family problems, 
those problems are still going to be there when you exit intimate worship.

In a metaphor I heard a friend use, we are “junk cars” due to the fall of Adam. But 
Jesus longs to take our junk cars and restore them to the way he wants us to be, 
as worshipers.  Just as Jesus sought out the Samaritan women, God continuously 
runs out and seeks us out.  When we respond to this, our restoration glorifies God, 
and we are then fulfilled.

Worship is a response.  We cannot help but respond when God "invades our space" 
through the awesome works He does in our lives, the beauty of His creation, et cet-
era.  When people come across a sign of God, such as a beautiful sunset or a rainbow, 
they can’t help but gasp in awe of God, whether or not they attribute to the God we 
worship or to another--it’s a built-in response.

Worship is also a choice.  We don’t need a special revelation or movement of God to 
worship Him.  We just make a decision to worship Him.  For example, King David 
didn’t care what he was going through or how he was emotionally (or mentally, 
possibly); he just decided to worship his God, no matter what the circumstance was.

"Just do it."  Try your best to forget all that is around you (Sometimes watching 
people worship boosts my emotional level, but keep in mind that worship is not 
based on emotions, but emotions are a result of worshiping).  No, you don’t have 
to worship how others are worshiping--just worship.  I find that keeping my eyes 
closed helps me focus on God and not the people around me, as well as the 
thoughts in my head.

Why else do we worship?  God commands it, this being the most important com-
mandment, according to Jesus when He was asked about the commandments.  
No, we don’t need to lift God up due to His insecurity.  God doesn’t NEED our prais-
es.  In actuality, WE benefit from worshiping God--WE need to worship God. We re-
ceive blessings, healing, restoration, humility and joy from worshiping God.  He is 
God--when we are in His presence, we realize how little we are compared to His majesty.

The main reason to worship is due to His love.  This is the major reason we worship.  
There are times of reverend worship, but from the liberation we have been given 
through Jesus Christ, how can we possibly hold back our celebration? It’s merely 
a response.  This is why you’d see people dancing and clapping--His love blows our 
minds, us not being able to comprehend such love, yet He gives it to us freely and 
generously.
 
As John Barnett said at a worship conference I had attended a while back, an en-
joyment of God brings freedom in worship.  It’s a journey we all are on, yet never 
reaching its destination until we see our Lord face-to-face.  So, spend time with 
God, read the Word, reach out in response to His awesome glory, starting to grasp 
that enjoyment of God. It’s from this enjoyment that people are able to cry out 
from the bottom of their hearts, worshiping in spirit and truth.

© 1998 Greenville Papyrus, admin. by STRTJCKT Publishing, 2003