The Garment of Worship

The Garment of Worship

Written by Michael D. Warden

"Worship the Lord in the splendor of [His] holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth" (Ps. 96:9, Holman Christian Standard Bible).

What is it to worship God? Is it singing a song? Is it giving Him money, attending a church service, or serving the poor in His name? Is it living a "righteous" life, doing your best to remain free of the entanglements that come from wanting to possess or control the passing attractions of this world? The answer is: no. None of these activities in and of themselves are worship. They are all outward displays of something deeper, something less tangible yet far more real than any outward action or ritual. You can build a church brick by brick with your bare hands and call it worship, but if your heart is more focused on gaining glory for yourself than on giving glory to God, then your great sacrifice is not worship.
Worship is not defined by a particular act but rather by the heart attitude of the person taking the action. It's like a garment we wear over our hearts. Once the garment is donned, then every act becomes worship.

So what is worship? What are the attributes of this garment that God calls us to wear? It's a garment woven not primarily of actions but of deep and disciplined attitudes. Of these deep disciplines, three stand out as key to the worshiper's heart: the discipline of gratitude, the discipline of intimate humility, and the discipline of celebration.

The Discipline of Gratitude
A grateful heart is not something we gain by chance. It's not some lucky by-product of winning the lottery, finding your soul mate, or getting a promotion at work. Those events may make us feel grateful for a time, but the practice of gratitude as a lifestyle is a choice that comes from a place far deeper than mere circumstance can reach.

It's a decision — a disciplined, ongoing choice — to live gratefully before God, regardless of whether you win the lottery, land the promotion, or find your true love. It's a discipline not merely of action but of how we see the world. In choosing a lifestyle of gratitude, we consciously place our heart's focus on life's myriad gifts more than its costs — from the grace to draw breath to the sweet taste of food to the laughter of children and the beauty of the sky. We speak our thanks in every circumstance. We choose joy, and we believe in God's goodness, even when life is hard.

In fact, it’s during those seasons when life seems hardest — when we lose the job or are forced to walk away from yet another failed relationship — that the true beauty and power of a grateful heart is revealed. For it is only in those situations that we realize the gifts of this world, however wonderful they may be, cannot compare to the deeper, eternal gift we already possess — a gift that no circumstance can take away.

The Discipline of Intimate Humility
Worship, when it's real, is naked. It's desperate, honest, and anything but eloquent. In true worship, there is no pretense before God, no performance, no hiding of flaws. It's the place where all the walls you have built finally crumble and dissolve — until there is only you, alone, standing in the consuming fire of God's holy presence. Like the burning bush on Sinai, you are not consumed, and you realize, as Moses did, that the only reason you are alive is because you are loved.

It's the blood of Christ that allows this miracle to happen every time we come before God. But until you make the conscious choice to open your heart to God in intimate humility, you will never truly experience it.

As with other disciplines of worship, intimate humility is not so much a specific action or ritual as it is a way of being with God. It is the choice to live naked before God — unguarded, brutally honest, keenly aware that you are nothing without Him, and yet equally convinced that you are loved.

In worship, intimate humility is the place of sacrifice and surrender. It is the place of fasting and tears. But it's also the place of transformation. For only in intimate humility do we forget about ourselves and focus our full attention on God. Only later do we realize that this act of abandoned surrender is actually the instrument by which we are changed. As Paul affirms, "We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18, HCSB).

The Discipline of Celebration
It's sad that the worship in our churches is so often restricted to somber ritual. We bow our heads to ponder God and sing our songs of devotion in quiet reflective tones, being ever mindful of the grave seriousness of approaching the throne of the Almighty.

While such obeisance can most certainly be worshipful, it is not the sum of all that worship can or must be. For worship is also free-spirited giddiness and delight. It's raucous laughter, unbridled rejoicing, feasting, and dance. It's reveling in God's goodness and celebrating the life and salvation He has given. To hold a party in celebration of God's goodness in our lives is every bit as much worship as the fasting and prayer of solitude. And both have a place in the life of every believer.

Celebration is central to the Christian experience. It's a key evidence of God's Spirit in our lives and a testimony to the world of the joy that comes from walking with Jesus and enjoying His salvation. For this very reason, it's also one of the key areas of our lives that our enemy strives to undermine and destroy. There's nothing quite so dismal and pathetic as a joyless Christian — and few things are more damaging to the spread of the gospel. Knowing this, the enemy will do everything in his power to stop your celebration.

That is, in part, why God's Word commands us to celebrate. We must be regularly reminded to look beyond the struggles of the moment and see the outcome that has already been written — the battle that has already been won. The discipline of regular celebration brings that reminder to our hearts and reopens the door of invitation from Jesus — to dance in the midst of Him through the circumstances of this life and to let our hearts come alive with laughter and song for the salvation and joy we have found in Him.

Michael D. Warden is a full-time author, speaker, and life coach who helps people discover and fulfill God's unique purpose for their lives.

I hope tht this wonderful article has given everyone so much encouragemt and hope in worshipping our Heavenly Creator God and [His] Son Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit to infiltrate your spirit today. In that awesome worship and praise in that garment of worship. catcmo2006