Praise vs. Worship

Music is a big issue in a lot of churches. The older generation loves the hymns and will die to keep them. The younger generation is bored by the slow music and archaic words and doesn't come because of them. Churches split over music, the family of God is divided over something as ridiculous as music.

Two weeks ago at the East Ohio District Camp meeting Rev. Steven Manley said something that stood out to me in terms of this idea of praise vs. worship. He said, "Praise is talking about God. Worship is talking to God. You can knock the contemporary music all you want, but they have this worship idea down." I've thought about that a lot over the last two weeks.

Each Sunday at the church I'm currently serving has hymns. And the more I look at these words, I see a lot of praise. So many of the hymns are full of what God has done, they are full of messages about His character and who He is. They focus on talking about Him, His holiness, and His deeds. But not many really talk to God. The hymns are full of praise.

Honestly I feel that the biggest thing missing, not just here, but in many churches across America, is worship. How much do we talk to God? Do we really know God? Anyone can offer praise, it's easy to talk about someone. In America we do it all the time with professional athletes, actors, and musicians. We talk about the thing they did on the athletic field, in a movie, or the song they've written. We praise them. And honestly, in some churches that's how we treat God, like a professional athlete who has done amazing things, but we don't really worship Him.

Praise is essential, I'm not trying to say we praise God too much, because that isn't possible. We have to praise God, the Bible tells us to. Psalm 9.1-2, "I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High." Verse 11, "Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds." Verse 14, "That I may tell of all Your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion." It is good to praise the Lord.

But we must also worship Him. Worship requires a relationship. You can't talk to someone without a relationship. Honestly, I believe God would rather have our worship than our praise. God would rather have a relationship with all of us than the praise of everyone on Earth. When we worship we talk to God, we talk with God. I've shared before what one of my college professors taught us about worship, "Worship is a trusting obedient response to the word of God." To be able to respond to the word of God, I must first hear what God is saying. God says that if we ask we shall receive (Matthew 7.7-10), God says that He will be found by us if we seek Him (Jeremiah 29.13). To hear from God we simply need to ask. We simply need to worship.

What is keeping you from worship? Maybe we are simply confused as to what it is, and we've thought praise is worship. Maybe we aren't being led in worship. My professor said that pastors are the lead worshiper, it is up to us to show our flocks how and what worship is. Maybe it's that we don't have a real relationship with Jesus, or we do, but something has gotten in the way, something is distracting us.

Worship is essential, we were made to worship, we were made for a relationship with God. Let us learn to talk with God again, may we as pastors take our role as lead worshiper seriously and lead our people to the thrown of God. My our lives exhibit true worship. May we never cease to praise God, but may the worship of God never lose it's prominence in our lives.

Back to music, we need both styles. We need the ones that remind us of who God is, we must remember what God has done, and we must continue to pass it on. We need the ones that help us talk to God, the ones that help us open our hearts before Him and communicate with Him heart to heart. Gradually the hymns are being updated, the music is being re-written for a new generation, but the message is remaining the same.

We must praise God because He is worthy, but we must worship God because it is what He created us to do. Praise God, tell of His greatness, proclaim what He has done. Worship God, talk with Him, listen to Him. Respond in trust and obedience.

Peace be with you