In my walk with the Lord, I have heard many sermons on the topic of worship. I have often thought of praise and worship as interchangeable words. I have even used those words in a sentence together, saying "praise and worship," when I explain the singing that typically happens before a pastor delivers a message. Don't judge me. I am still learning and growing in my walk and how I talk about the Lord.

I don't think I'm the only one who thinks Christianity has an entirely new vocabulary to learn. As I'm writing this devotional, I believe I should create a dictionary on this site of Christian words and the definitions. Maybe that will come later. Stay tuned!

I hope you will grow from this devotional by learning how to properly yearn for God.

Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:
*worship wor·​ship ˈwər-shəp
transitive verb

1: to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power
2: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion

My perspective:
I feel I need to define praise and then talk about worship. Praise to me is singing, clapping, dancing to show honor to the Lord. I see praise as an outward expression to honor God. Worship, on the other hand, is something I do internally and independent of what is going on around me. Worshiping God is what I do with my heart, my attitude, and with my soul to honor God. When storms are raging, my soul finds peace in God. When all things are going right in my life and I feel like I’m on top of the world, I worship God by acknowledging that it is through Him that all is well with my soul. When two-way communication takes place between my spirit and Holy Spirit, and God gets the honor in that moment, that is worship.

Here are a few of many scriptures on the topic of worship:

  • Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 (NIV)
  • Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Revelation 19:9-10 (NIV)
  • You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ ” Matthew 15:9-10 (NIV)

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