What Is Worship? How to Enter the Presence of God
Adapted from Chapter 1 of Culture of Hunger and Chapter 6 of Conversations.
Worship is declaring who God is and giving yourself to Him in response. It is more than singing. It is a posture of the heart that says God is good, God is holy and God is worthy, often in contrast to how we feel or what we see. And at its center, worship is not about what God can do for us. It is about wanting God Himself. That longing is what draws us into His presence.
The Most Repeated Line of Worship
One of the most repeated refrains in the entire Bible is a simple line of worship. It echoes through the Psalms, through the histories of Israel and into eternity:
Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
Psalms 118:1, World English Bible
Worship is the steady rhythm of heaven. In Revelation, around the throne of God, worship never stops:
The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”
Revelation 4:8, World English Bible
Heaven doesn't move on from worship, and neither should we. Jesus lived this way too. He gave thanks before feeding the five thousand (John 6:11), and He gave thanks at the Last Supper knowing the cross was coming (Luke 22:19). Worship was not a mood. It was a rhythm.
Worship Is Powerful
When King Jehoshaphat faced an army far too large to defeat, God told him to send singers to the front lines. As they began to sing, "Give thanks to Yahweh, for his loving kindness endures forever," the Lord set ambushes against their enemies (2 Chronicles 20:21-22). Worship was not the response after the victory. It was the pathway to it.
Worship does not ignore pain. It reframes it. It lifts our eyes to what is true and eternal when everything around us feels temporary and chaotic.
The Heart of Worship Is Hunger for God's Presence
David wrote one of the most famous lines in the Psalms:
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalms 42:1-2, World English Bible
Most of us picture a peaceful deer sipping from a quiet stream. That is not the image. The Hebrew word translated "pants" is one of the rarest words in Scripture. It describes the cry of a deer in distress, gasping at the edge of survival. Deer don't sweat. They cool themselves by panting, and without water they die. David was a man being chased by enemies, and his deepest cry was not for rescue or strategy. It was for God Himself.
That is what real worship is. Not wanting God's gifts, His blessings or even the experience of a great worship service. Wanting Him.
One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.
Psalms 27:4, World English Bible
Mary of Bethany lived this. While her sister was busy serving, Mary sat at Jesus' feet, and Jesus said, "One thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42).
How to Enter the Presence of God
God is everywhere, yet Scripture invites us to draw near to His presence in a personal, felt way. Here is how worship opens that door.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
Psalms 100:4, World English Bible
1. Start with thanks. Before you ask for anything, thank God for specific things He has done. Gratitude shifts your attention from your problems to His goodness.
2. Name who He is. Speak His character out loud: "You are faithful. You are with me. You are holy. You are my provider and my peace." Read a Psalm or Revelation 4 and 5 and join the worship already happening in heaven.
3. Come honest and humble. "Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart" (Psalm 34:18). Self-sufficiency is the enemy of hunger. You don't have to come with it all together. You have to come.
4. Draw near, and expect Him to meet you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8, World English Bible
5. Don't wait for a feeling. Spiritual hunger is not a mood that rises and falls with a good worship set. It is a settled posture of the soul that says, "I cannot live without You." Let worship lead your emotions, not the other way around.
Worship Is a Way of Life
Paul wrote that presenting our whole lives to God is our "spiritual service" of worship (Romans 12:1). Worship happens on Sunday when we sing together, and it happens on Monday when we choose God in our work, our words and our homes. The world doesn't need more people who are casually interested in God. It needs people who are hungry for Him.
Take two minutes right now. Thank God for three things. Tell Him who He is. Then ask simply, "God, I want more of You."
Go deeper. This post draws from Hazen's teaching in Culture of Hunger and the book Conversations. Start the free Culture of Hunger Bible plan, watch the full Culture of Hunger series free, or explore worship in the Psalms with our Incense and Oil series on the Songs of Ascent and the Gladness in God plan. For prayer as a way of life, get Conversations on Amazon.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).
