“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 NKJ
One afternoon, many years ago, I was flipping through the TV channels, when suddenly, I stopped on a program that captured my attention. What I saw was Rebecca St. James leading hundreds of people in worship. Hands and voices were lifted high as the rain gently fell. It was as if the presence of Jesus was visibly pouring down upon them. Something came alive inside of me that day. I thought, “I want to sing and lead people in worship like that!” …. and to my heart came the reply from the Lord that I will never forget. “Count the cost.” What did the Lord mean? What was the Lord asking of me that day? I really wanted to find out, whatever it was….
I have always known that worship is not just about getting behind a microphone and sounding pretty. Worship is not about lip service or that dreaded word: “performance.” It is not an activity reserved for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. It most definitely is not something you check off a box and get over with. It is certainly not the “warm-up act” to the sermon. So, then what is worship, really? The answer is found where worship is first mentioned in the Bible.
At Harvest we often use the phrase “The law of first mention.” With worship, we see it in, Genesis 22:5. “He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there, we will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Abraham was going up the mountain with the intention, as per direction of the Lord, to sacrifice that which was his most loved and most treasured possession, his only son. Even though God provided the ram for the sacrifice, we can see an incredible picture of a heart willing to sacrifice it’s most loved and treasured possession. We also see that worship is connected to sacrifice and will cost you something. Count the cost…
The word most translated “worship” is the Hebrew word Shacah, and it means “to prostrate, bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship. This is the word used in Genesis 22. The second most common word used for worship is the Greek word Latreuo. Latreuo means “to minister to God”. I love this translation as it describes our role as a “royal priesthood,” called to minister to God, as well as to others. Isn’t that where our hearts should be in worship? To seek to minister to God more than to please others?
There is a story in all four gospels that I believe accurately depict these two words for worship. Dr Luke recounts it like this…
“ 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” Luke 7:36-38. John’s gospel says that the oil’s fragrance filled the room.
This “sinful woman,” believed to be Mary of Bethany, came to meet Jesus for that very purpose: to minister or latreuo Him, to bless him and love on Him. She poured out what would have been the equivalent of one year’s wages to anoint her Jesus. She gave to Him what was most valuable and most precious and most costly. She then bowed low or “shacah” at His feet when no one else in the room did. Mary remained behind Him, avoiding the attention. Her humility and reverence inspire me.
As her tears and oil flowed, insults came as well. Jesus rebukes them, as only He could see the depths from where her worship came. The insults did not deter Mary from her humble, sacrificial worship at His feet. Not even the insults nor the opinions of man could keep Mary from her worship. That was a sacred and holy place for Mary, at His beautiful feet.
The feet where she sat and hung on every word (Luke 10:39)
The feet at which she fell when she learned He was calling for her after her brother’s passing (John 11:32).
The feet that she was now anointing (Luke 7:38)
This was the place her love and her worship began and it’s where it begins for us as well. “You must sit at His feet, or you will never anoint them; He must pour His divine teaching into you, or you will never pour out a precious ointment upon Him” -Charles Spurgeon.
“Count the cost” was an invitation for me to dive deeper into what it truly means to worship. At the time, I was only looking at worship from the outside in, and the Lord wanted me to see it and live it from the inside out. I was being called to look beyond what I was seeing and discover what it would cost to live a life, not only just a moment, that was createdto worship.
The cost of giving my best to the Lord regardless of circumstances or feelings.
The cost of choosing to obey even when it’s hard or not convenient.
The cost of humbly bowing my wishes, desires, pride, and ambitions at the feet of the Jesus and saying, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” John3:30
The cost of offering myself as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,” which Paul saysis our “true and proper worship” Romans 12:1
“The greatest worshippers in the Bible were all people who were willing to humble themselves before God- to submit to His way instead of their way.” – Zach Neese “Howto Worship a King.”
If we are to live a life of worship, fueled with a passion for our King, then how we worship should show Him and the world how much we value him. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are a chosen generation to worship and praise our true God. This tells the world who He is and how He has called us out of darkness and into His light. And isn’t that light marvelous?! What a privilege that has been given to us by the Lord!
We want to thank Julie Posey for sharing this post.
Women's Ministry 