Why is more significant than how . . .

Worship takes many forms such as, fasting, prayer, praise, gratitude, singing, lifting hands, service, and silent reverence. However, Jesus stated it most succinctly when He said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Tozer writes, “Worship means to express in some appropriate manner what you feel.” He adds that this means we do not always express it in the same way all the time or in the same manner, just that it will happen.

I like what Jesus said because He clarifies that worship is from the heart and according to truth. I like what Tozer says because he clarifies that worship is expressed from an inner attitude and cannot be faked.

“For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:25–29)

To worship in truth means giving homage to God according to His revelation of Himself. These verses say He is great and I should be in awe of Him, turning my back on worthless idols because God created all things, even the stuff that people use to fashion their idols. He is magnificent, strong, and a God of joy. He is worthy to receive all the honor I can give Him — and He wants me to worship Him in holiness.

As Tozer says, we are not told to worship Him in the same way, as if we are cookie-cutter Christians. I learned that at Bible school. Each day the student body attended chapel where we sang and worshiped God. I saw many different expressions of worship. At first some of it made me feel uncomfortable, yet I soon realized that these students loved the Lord, whether they stood in awe or were almost dancing in the aisles. Their expressions of what they felt about Him were as varied as their denominational labels, but all of it was in spirit and in truth.

Not only that, these variations brought us together. The hands-in-the-air people did not stand in one corner, nor the serious-faced types in another. We rejoiced in God together because those chapels were not about us but about our Lord and Savior — and God loves variety!

Part of the reason for this conclusion is simple: look at the world, even just the flowers in the world. Their faces are turned toward heaven yet even those with the same shape and name come in different colors. Also, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) Of the billions of stars and heavenly bodies, each has its own distinctives, like snowflakes, blades of grass, and grains of sand. When I consider the handiwork of God, I must worship.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, what a delight to look at what You have made and marvel at the variety and intricacy of it all. What a joy to realize that I am part of that and You do not ask me to be like everyone else, just to be like me. You do desire that my worship be in spirit and from the heart, and that it be in truth and according to who You really are. You also ask that I worship You in holiness which is the most amazing thing because holiness is a gift of grace, a status bestowed on me because of Your sacrifice on the cross, Your death to give me life. It is because of You that I know who You are and because of You that worship is possible.