The Essence Of Worship

As they ministered to the Lord , and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them (Acts 13:2).

The underlined portion is a remarkable construction. Deuteronomy 10:8 shows us something along this line about the Levites: “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.” Today, we’re king-priests unto God, to minister to Him (Revelation 1:6).

Ministering to the Lord is the essence of worship; it’s something you do consciously, not passively. Many Christians wonder why they don’t seem to experience the power of God, as they should; the problem, for the most part, lies in this area. They haven’t learnt how to minister to the Lord in worship. Hebrews 13:15 shows us what, and how, to minister to the Lord: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Thus, in ministering to the Lord, you offer tribute or speech that acknowledges and celebrates the Name of the Lord. You testify of His greatness, His love, power, righteousness, grace, wisdom, glory and blessedness! Ministering to Him involves consciously lifting your hands in worship, and adoration for who He is, speaking words from your spirit that extol His majesty.

It’s not enough to say, “Lord, I bless you. I praise you and I worship you!” Your worship must have content. You should rather say, “Lord, I praise you, because you’re wonderful, merciful, considerate, so loving and kind; gracious and glorious”; that’s different. You’ve added content. The book of Psalms is replete with spirit-filled and inspiring contents that extol His majesty, and speak of His greatness; you can use some of the examples to make your psalms of praise and worship to the Lord.