How can I know how to properly worship God?

Answer

Worship can be defined as the act of honoring and loving a deity, idol, or person in a selfless manner. The act of worship involves the total self in giving praise, thanksgiving, and reverence to that deity, person, or material object. It is not a half-hearted affair, and only after we distinguish between what is and isn’t worship, with regards to the divine objective, can we fully address the question above. True, biblical worship, as defined by the scholar A. W. Pink (1886 – 1952) in his exposition of the gospel of John, states: “It is a redeemed heart, occupied with God, expressing itself in adoration and thanksgiving.” Similarly, A. W. Tozer said, “True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God that the idea of a transfer of affection never even remotely exists.”

Therefore, the true worship of God is distinguished by the following criteria: first, it originates from the redeemed heart of a man or woman who has been justified before God by faith and who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sins. How can one worship the God of heaven if their sin has not been dealt with? Worship that stems from an unregenerate heart, where Satan, self, and the world hold sway, can never be acceptable (2 Timothy 2:26;1 John 2:15). Any worship other than that from a “washed” heart is in vain.

Second, true worship of God arises from a heart that desires Him alone. This was precisely where the Samaritan people erred; they tried to worship both God and idols (2 Kings 17:28-41). This is reaffirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ when He discusses true worship with the Samaritan woman who came to draw water from the well. “You Samaritans worship what you do not know” «Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. », (John 4:22). These individuals worshipped God with divided hearts because their complete devotion was not fixed on God. Even genuine believers can fall into this same trap. While we may not embrace physical idols like the Samaritans, what truly captivates our will, time, and resources? Is it our careers, material possessions, wealth, health, or even our families? Let us echo King David’s sentiment in Psalm 63:5, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips, my mouth will praise you.” Only God should fully satisfy the heart of a renewed individual, and the natural response to this divine contentment, akin to the finest meal, is the offering of praise through our lips «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. », (Hebrews 13:15).

Furthermore, genuine worship of God involves a continual thirst for deepening our understanding of Him. This longing seems to have waned in modern times. In addition to daily Bible reading, which is essential, we should also enrich our knowledge by delving into other edifying literature. Our minds should be saturated with godly matters; God ought to be at the forefront of our thoughts, guiding all our actions (Colossians 3:17;1 Corinthians 10:31). It is noteworthy that the Greek term for “worship” in Romans 12:1 can also signify “service.” Hence, our daily lives should be viewed as acts of worship. Each day, we are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. The church is meant to impact the world through its worship of God. Unfortunately, this dynamic is often reversed.

Let us purify our hearts if we truly desire to worship the triune God in spirit and truth. Our God is holy; He is entirely distinct, a God who cannot share us with other objects of our affection. In fact, a God who refuses to share us, for the sake of His holiness. We were created to be creatures who worship, but the Fall has damaged and destroyed us. Worship is the most innate thing for humanity, but until we are reconciled to God through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, then all our worship is merely futile. It is like “strange fire” in front of the altar «And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. », (Leviticus 10:1).