Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praised and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. 

Revelation 5:11-14

Devotion

So much about what I understand about worship came from growing up in the church. I learned wonderful hymns that I still remember well today. I learned when to sit and when to stand. I found out the hard way when to be quiet. One thing I did miss is that worship is so much more than singing the first and fourth stanzas of a few songs before the sermon. Worship is our response to the realization of who God is and what he has done. 

We see responses of worship referenced all throughout the Bible from people in the Old and New Testaments. When the Lord passed in front of him, Moses “immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped” (Exodus 34:8). When the people witnessed the miracle of the Lord in the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, “they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God’” (I Kings 18:39). When the Magi came to visit Jesus, “they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). In Matthew 14:33, after Jesus walked on the water, “those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” These are just some examples of places where worship is the reaction to understanding who God is. At times, I wish the Bible went into more detail about what that worship looked like, but I’m sure it was more ways than singing.

Revelation 5 is a wonderful depiction of heavenly worship and it reveals a pattern we use in our worship at church. First, we see a proclamation and affirmation of the truth of who God is by the angels and creatures on the earth voicing agreement of that truth. Next, we see the bodily response, to fall down and worship, by the elders. The next time we worship together, think about this pattern of worshiping in unity due to the realization of the truth of who God is. 

Singing praises to God is a wonderful way we can voice the truth about who God is, but it’s not the only way we worship. Falling down is a pattern in the Scriptures, and it is done in church when we kneel or bow our heads to pray. In worship, the audible proclamation and the physical actions we take are what’s important. What are some of the ways we worship outside of a church service? I believe we worship God when we share the truth out loud with someone else or even when we are alone. Sharing your thoughts out loud has an amazing effect on your belief and understanding of the things you know. Singing songs or reading Psalms and other Scripture about God and the great things he has done is another way to worship God. We also worship God when we use our gifts and talents to do work he has set before us. This could be through volunteering but can also be in our everyday vocation. If we are working for the glory of the Lord and working from a posture of gratitude for our gifts and talents, we are worshiping him. Our lives are made for worship. I pray that we worship together when we are in the church and when we are out in our everyday lives. 

PRAYER

Lord, let us see your miraculous works around us every day. Help us to recall and reflect on the things you have done throughout the history of Scripture and our own lives. We pray our response is to worship you through our words and our physical actions. Let us gather and remember the sacrifice you made and how you conquered sin and death, so we will always rejoice in you. In worship of you, we pray. Amen!

Michael Foster
Pastor, Connection Ministries - OKC

Michael has served on staff in various capacities throughout the years from IT to pastoral roles and volunteering in Crossings Kids. His joy is to see people in the church grow in their faith and trust in God so they can walk it out in their everyday lives with their Heavenly Father. 

Resources

• Listen to the following Hymns of worship: Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Crown Him with Many Crowns, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Angels from the Realms of Glory, All Creatures of Our God and King, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

Read More Devotions

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.