Pastor's Corner: Various forms of worship for 2016

By Brian Barrows

I would like to look at several different forms of worship that are discussed in the Bible. This is by no means an exhaustive list, probably more of a good start.

Praise is the first form of worship that I would like to look at. The word, praise is used 277 times in the Old Testament. It is mentioned 164 times in the Book of Psalms alone! We give praise to God for who He is. That can be somewhat different for each one of us but let’s look at some common attributes. True and Living God, Almighty God, God of unconditional Love, God of Mercy, God of Grace, Psalm 150 is completely dedicated to Praising God. In Psalm 47:6-7 the emphasis is on singing praise to God. “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7. For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” Psalm 108:3 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. As you can see, in Psalms 108 and 144, the writer declares that he will sing praises. Psalms 144:9 I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, 147:7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, 149:3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. Here we see that a form of worship is through musical instruments and dance as well.

Thanksgiving is another form of worship that is documented in the Bible. We have the recording in Nehemiah 12, they were in the process of dedicating the walls that had been rebuilt. They appointed two entire Thanksgiving choirs, one on each side. Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name! Psalm 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalms 116:17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; then the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds, through Christ Jesus. Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Worshipping with thanksgiving brings about tremendous peace in our soul. We re-focus our attention on God instead of the situation that is at hand.

Adoration is a form of worship we don’t talk about much in our society. Adoration includes being consumed with who God is, focusing on His attributes. Power and strength are two attributes listed in Psalm 62:11 Power and strength belong to God, Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Hebrews 7:25 to save to the uttermost, DIVINE power over the laws of nature are mentioned in Matthew 14:20 multiplied the loaves and fishes, 14:25 Walking on the water, Psalms 33:7, 107:29, 89:9, Job 38:11, these all refer to the fact that God is in control of the waves, the sea, and the wind. God is all powerful, all knowing, always present, and the list goes on.

Vicki and I have had two deaths closely associated with our family in the last two weeks. It seems that when family and friends gather for a funeral at this season of the year it’s even harder than usual, since it is the season to celebrate the birth of our Savior. In addition, Vicki and I both experienced the loss of our spouse in 2003.

After death, those who remain begin the grieving process. One of the most effective ways to deal with the grieving process is to admit that you are grieving and talk about it with others, especially with God! When we open up dialogue with God, we are simply expressing to Him how we feel about the situation we find ourselves in and then telling God yet (in spite of this) I will put my trust in You, God. I will have joy in You, the one who saves me!!

We are not worshipping God to try to change the circumstances, we are worshipping Him in spite of the situation! This form of worship is referred to in the Bible as lamentations. Some Christian writers today consider lamentations to be one of the most powerful forms of worship. Habakkuk writes in Chapter 3:17-19

(17)Even if the fig tree does not grow figs and there is no fruit on the vines, even if the olives do not grow and the fields give no food, even if there are no sheep within the fence and no cattle in the cattle-building, (18) yet I will have joy in the Lord. I will be glad in the God Who saves me. (19) The Lord God is my strength. He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, and He makes me walk on high places.

In verse 17, Habakkuk describes a desperate and isolated situation, but in verses 18 and 19 he declares that in spite of the circumstances (yet), he will have joy in the Lord. He will be glad. He declares that God is his strength, did you get that? His strength comes from God and not from the circumstances. The result in verse 19 is that God causes him to have quick and sure steps and God raises him up to high places. Places above the circumstances!

Once again, God’s peace, that surpasses our understanding, keeps us through the situation. We are focused on God and we put our trust in Him, not our own abilities or strengths. David wrote about this same principle in Psalm 5:11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. I pray that you will intentionally spend more time in worship in 2016 and use these forms of worship I have discussed here. Cut this out and stick on your refrigerator or the mirror as a reminder to stay focused on worshipping God in 2016.