THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAISE &

WORSHIP
JANUARY 21, 2015 CARAN LEAVE A COMMENT

Why do we worship?
The purpose of worship is to glorify, honor, praise, and magnify God. As followers of God, we
worship Him out of reverence and respect. He is worthy to be worshiped. When we worship with
an obedient heart, God is glorified.

I know music is not something that everyone finds important, but music is a very important
aspect of my life. I love to sing and dance and listen to music every chance that I get! Music is a
universal language. It doesn’t matter if the lyrics are in a language you can understand or not, the
music gets your heart pumping, your foot tapping, and in many cases, your spirit awakening-
even without the words. In my case, and I’m sure many others out there as well, during praise
and worship is when I draw near to God.

If church service were a meal for example, the praise and worship is your appetizer-it gets me
started and in the right mindset. It helps me focus on Christ. It prepares my heart and my mind
for the message. Then the sermon is the meal. God uses my preacher like a fork to shovel in His
word and sustain me. Then the fellowship with the congregation is like the dessert. It is there
where I can build relationships, accountability partners, and friends who are a good influence in
my life. THE PERFECT MEAL. But again, for me, it all starts with the praise and worship.

Jesus says in John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship
Him.”
Psalm 95:1-6 “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our
salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with
songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are
the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.”
James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Tony Cooke Ministries did an article on the “Do’s and Don’ts of Praise and Worship” that I
found quite enjoyable. I’ve posted them below. To read the rest of the article and a more detailed
description of why, click here: http://www.tonycooke.org/free_resources/articles_others/praise-
worship.html
#1: DO Spend Time in God’s Presence for Yourself
#2: DON’T Confuse Praise and Worship With
Entertainment
#3: DO Realize the Importance of Your Role So You Can Do
Your Part Well