HSD: The Importance of Worship Series- Part I

Consider the structure of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Do you ever wonder why the Lord calls us to worship God before we cover anything else in prayer? Before we ask for His forgiveness? Before we ask for His provision and protection? Why does The Word place so much emphasis on worship? Let us break this down Holy Spirit:

Warning: This part may read a little stiff but before things can get interesting, we have to cover some terminology and historical context of terms used. If you tend to skip ahead past the genealogy scriptures throughout the Bible, I’m talking to you. Try to absorb this part. The Holy Spirit is moving.

1.   In the first part of this series, we will dissect the etymologies of the terms “praise” and “worship” and their relation to Christ. The term “praise” carries two different meanings. Both meanings are worth considering in their relation to God, so stay with me. The term praise as it is spelled today carries Latin and Old French origins. It began its journey as the word pretium meaning price in Latin. It was identified as the term preisier or to prize or praise in Old French where it found settlement in Middle English as the term we see spelled out as praise which means “to set a price on or attach value to something.” While we see praise in this way commonly attached to the term appraise, we would be remiss to not acknowledge its original usage in relation to honoring God, especially since the definition for praise as we know it today actually requires the former to be executed effectively. Praise, meaning to honor or to glorify, comes from the Latin origin of laudate or laud. In its original form, you’ll find this term trailing behind collegiate honorary distinctions (i.e. Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude), but its intention to honor those who are worthy of recognition continues. Biblically, one will find the two forms or spellings used interchangeably throughout scripture. In Romans chapter 15:11 KJV it reads, “And again, Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles; and laud Him, all ye people.” There is a reason Paul uses both terms. He does this to imply distinction, that we should accurately consider God and determine His value before approaching Him with the offering of adoration. Understanding both definitions reminds us that praise is an offering, and a worthy offering can only be determined through active consideration of the recipient’s worth. Now the term worship combines both meanings. With Germanic roots, it found settlement in Old English as the term “weordscipe” before maturing into its modern form as we see spelled today. The term worship simply means (and has always meant) the condition of being worthy to receive honor. Again, to determine worthiness, one must assess value. To be deemed worthy of honor, this means this assessment is executed correctly and the verdict accurately accommodates the value of the recipient. When coming to God, it is vital to remember all He has done for you and all that His Word told you about His Power and His Character. This “remembrance” helps you to understand to whom you are speaking and His value as The Almighty God. Only then will you be able to enter into the realm of “genuine worship.”

For instance, I want you to consider the story of Cain and Abel. Many people wonder why Abel’s offering was more favored than Cain’s offering. The Word says, “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.” Genesis 4:3-5 KJV

Abel appraised God’s worth and accommodated this value by offering the first of his flock. Cain failed to truly consider God by only giving him a portion of what he could afford. One was a genuine sacrifice, the other a convenient gesture. Abel’s accurate appraisal of God’s worthiness led to an offering of genuine praise. Cain’s selfish offering exposed the spirit of the enemy already at work within him. The Word then says, “but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

**Pause: Can we all just appreciate God’s Dad moment here for a second? God asked Cain, “Why has your countenance fallen?” For those of you who grew up in homes like mine, this is the equivalent of our parents saying, “Hey, look at me. Why does your face look like that? Fix it.”

Annnd we’re back.

Loosely translated, God says, “why are you so angry when all you have to do is do better next time? Unless you’re not actually striving to do better or learn from this experience which places you in danger of going your own way (sinning). Be careful though, if you’re not trying to please Me, someone else is waiting to work with you full time.”

And instead of reflecting on the conviction of God, Cain took matters into His own hands, as God foretold, and sinned against Him.

Let us not be like Cain. If The Holy Spirit is convicting you to upgrade your worship, take heed and make the necessary steps to do so. Some of us might say, “I’m not like Cain. In fact, I typically approach the Lord in repentance before worship.”

You’d be surprised to know that this gesture is mostly rooted in pride, not humility. Stay tuned for Part 2 in this series for more on this.

Holy Spirit, we thank you for this Word. In Jesus’ Name to the Glory of the Father we praise. Amen.