2 Chronicles 20 tells a story about hundreds of thousands of people who all had their “light bulb” moment of praise & worship at the same time. You know that moment where you feel as though you’re standing in the very throne room of God telling him how awesome he is? This was their moment. Three large armies were marching against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s response was to call everyone in Judah to a giant prayer meeting.
I’m quite certain I wouldn’t have responded the way the people of Judah did when they learned of their imminent danger. Simply put, they made the choice to worship.
What we have in this chapter of 2 Chronicles is an incredible worship service. In the midst of naturally frightening circumstances, they had a supernatural encounter with almighty God. They saw him as he is and therefore worshipped him as they should. In fact, they fell down and worshipped him. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word worship here means “to bow down, prostrate oneself, before a superior in homage, before God in worship.” God is our superior; he is our Lord. Submitting to him as our master is the essence of worship.
We are to love the Lord, our God, with everything we are: heart, soul, mind and body (Deut. 6:4-5). When we do this, we are paying homage to him as our superior. Just as the people of Judah bowed in surrender, we must surrender to him as our Lord. Anything less is not biblical worship.
People have asked me, “Isn’t the Christian life really just a bunch of ‘Thou shalt nots’?” To which I reply, “No, the Christian life is actually one big ‘Thou shalt’...love God.” It’s really that simple: Worship him completely.
Worship is not just something we do on Sundays at church. And it’s certainly more than singing or attending a service, although those are included. Worship is a lifestyle. It involves everything we do and think and are. It means loving God with every breath we take and every move we make.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul wrote, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Paul chose the examples of eating and drinking to illustrate how our most common and everyday activities can and should bring glory and honor to Christ.
So what does this kind of worship look like in everyday life? Is it really possible to worship God when you’re at home or school or work? How can even your simplest and most common tasks bring honor and worship to God?
[taken from Pure Praise: A Heart-Focused Bible Study on Worship, Dwayne Moore, 12-13.]
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
--Deuteronomy 6:4-5
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