How do you worship God? Don’t read this question and think that it is asking about your church worship service or your current playlist of worship songs, but rather think about your own spiritual growth through your personal or private worship of God.
How do you worship God personally to grow in your relationship with Him?
Some people try to discredit your ability to worship God personally by posing questions like, “You cannot see, touch, taste, smell or hear God, so how do you worship a God you cannot experience through your five senses?” This type of questioning about worshipping God seems to put the focus on the worshiper, instead of the object of the worship, which should be God. God should be worshipped because of who He is.
God holds all things together, from the bigness of the entire universe to the smallness of one single cell. Consider Psalm 24. God inspired King David to compose this short song so that David could express his worship of God, but also its lyrics could be sung by God’s people, corporately, as worship to God.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Psalm 24:1-2
You see how this song opens with King David proclaiming God is the owner and creator of the earth and everything in it. Why does David declare that the world and everything in it belong to God? And why does David want to lead God’s people to worship God through these lyrics. Because David believes God is the Creator of everything. God is the Creator of the earth and everything in it. God is the Creator of the habitable world – all human beings, plants, animals, sun, moon, and stars as well as the seas, oceans, rivers, and land – Everything! God is the sustainer of every living thing on the earth. God is the owner of everything He created.
How might Psalm 24:1-2 help you worship God personally?
Think for a moment about going through your day. You awake (whatever time that is) and you begin to encounter other human beings, or you see, touch, taste, or smell delicious food, beautiful plants, magnificent animals, and calm or rushing water. As you experience these good things, do you ever pause and tell God that you know He is the owner of the earth and everything in it? Do you take just a moment in your mind and heart to focus your affections on God when you experience something good in this world that He created?
Grow in your worship of God.
As you go throughout your day, how could you respond to God in worship for all He has created and given you an opportunity to experience and enjoy?
In Psalm 24:1-2, you are invited to worship God for who He is and what He created, but then King David composes two questions, “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” (Psalm 24:3), which suggests there are some requirements to worship God. So, who can worship God?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. . . Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Psalm 24:4,6
The people who can worship God have pure hands and hearts (sometimes translated “clean” hands and “pure” hearts). They do not worship idols and they do not lie. These verses seem to indicate that God expects His worshipers to prepare themselves to worship Him.
In the Old Testament, God gave His people many instructions about making sure they were ceremonially clean or purified to worship Him. You can read the book of Leviticus for all sorts of things that made a person unclean to worship God and the waiting period before they could worship God again. Once the waiting period was complete, the person would wash or cleanse themselves before worshiping God.
The problem with ceremonial washing (also called cleansing or purification) was no one could be innocent of sin; guiltless in their thoughts, motives, speech, or actions permanently. The washing was only a temporary and insufficient cleansing or purification to allow the person to worship God until the need arose again to be cleansed or purified.
However, Jesus Christ offered Himself, His innocent blood to cleanse people from all their sin (1 John 1:7). Jesus made a way for people to permanently be cleansed to worship God. God knows every person has sinned and fallen short of His glorious standard (Romans 3:23). The only way for you to have “clean hands” and a “pure heart” is for Jesus to cleanse you. You cannot cleanse your own hands or purify your own heart, but Jesus can. You must accept Jesus as God and believe He can cleanse you once and for all, so you can worship God permanently and forever.
Seek cleansing to worship God.
Your hands represent your actions – what you have done, are doing, and will do during your lifetime. For preparation to worship God, would you say, your daily actions regarding family, friends, work, church, money, entertainment, recreation, etc. – are “clean” and “pure” before God or “dirty” and “impure”? Also, how is your heart? People who have a pure heart do not entertain or dwell on thoughts or feelings that lead to sin because they desire to see and know God (Matthew 5:8). They want to be with God – worship Him personally – more than they want to sin. If you evaluate your actions, thoughts, and feelings, and discover they are not clean and pure in God’s sight, confess your sin to God to prepare yourself for worshiping God.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:8-10
Daily worship reminder.
If your hands get sticky or messy while cooking or baking or your hands get dirty while gardening or cleaning, you most likely wash your hands to get them back clean. Whenever you wash your hands throughout your day, use this time as a reminder to evaluate your actions, thoughts, and feelings before God. While washing your hands, ask yourself, “Is there any sin I need to confess to God, so that I’m ready to worship God?”
Why does God also require His worshippers not to worship idols and not to lie?
God expects His people not to worship anything (e.g., people, animals, possessions, food, drink, rest, abilities, resources, health, work, technology, retirement, and entertainment) other than Him, alone. Nothing in this world should every be the object of your worship. God, the Creator of everything should be the object of your worship. Also, those who want to worship God should not habitually speak false information. They should avoid being deceitful or dishonest. So, in preparation to worship God, He expects you to be truthful in your communication, not only about yourself, others, situations, but also about Him.
How can you worship God personally?
First, start each day by declaring God is the Creator of everything! Then as you encounter God’s creation, pause to worship Him. For example, appreciate other human beings whom God has created in His image and worship God for those He has created that enrich and make your life more wonderful.
Second, try not to move so quickly through your day, that you do not pause to enjoy God’s creation – plants, animals, sun, moon, stars, rivers, oceans! Don’t worship these created things but focus your mind and heart on the God that created all things and allow your praise and affection to be directed to Him.
Third, when you experience God through His creation, pause for a moment to worship Him! Your personal worship could include acknowledging that everything is God’s (Psalm 24:1-2) or singing to God, praying to God, shouting praises to God, dancing before God, bowing down or kneeling before God, meditating on His words in the Bible, or like King David, composing songs, writing poetry, or creating any form of art that accurately portrays God. What is the full expression of how you want to worship God? How could you worship God for who He is, all that He has created, and all that He has done for you to experience Him through His creation?
The results of you worshipping God.
What happens when you worship God as He requires: with “clean” hands (actions) and a “pure” heart (thoughts/feelings), and don’t worship idols or lie? If you prepare yourself to worship God in this way, as God expects, you receive God’s blessing and have a right relationship with Him (Psalm 24:5).
They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Psalm 24:5-6
God invites you to worship Him personally from the time you wake until the time you go to sleep again, so grow in your worship of God.
Consider these daily worship reminders:
- Start each day acknowledging God is the Creator of everything. (Psalm 24:1-2)
- Throughout your day, pause to appreciate and enjoy God’s creation. (Psalm 24:1-2)
- “Wash your hands” – Use washing your hands as a reminder to evaluate your actions, thoughts, feelings, and speech during the day. (Psalm 24:3-4) When sin is revealed, confess your sin before God. He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all sin. (1 John 1:9)
- As the result of worshiping God, receive God’s blessing in your life and live each day having a right relationship with Him. (Psalm 24:5-6)
Watch the LIVE REPLAY to learn more about these practical reminders to help you grow in your worship of God and receive God’s blessing in your life. Join us LIVE every Monday at 3 p.m. ET on @GodGivesCourage Instagram for our Spiritual Growth Series and check back here on Tuesdays for the companion blog post.
