There is a grand mystique about worship. Personally I find it is very hard to put into words – there is a strange warming of the heart in worship, a sense of being in the presence of God. Which, of course, is exactly what happens. It is this presence of God that makes the mystique of worship so real.

I am afraid that far too many don’t understand worship, not that I fully grasp all of its implications. I think too there is a very real tendency to create external forms of worship. The danger is that many fall into the trap of worshipping the forms. This is a hidden idolatry. I think it wise that we look for a moment at the very concept of worship itself.

The worship that I speak of, the worship that the Bible presents, the worship the Prophets of old spoke of, the worship that the Apostles brought revolves around a Person. This is the heart and soul of New Testament worship. His name is Jesus! Worship without Jesus is not worship at all – worship of something other than Jesus is idolatry!

Now then if you were to study worship, you would find that the word itself is a shortened version of the word worth. It really means worship. Let me say that this is truly important, for worth is the heart of worship.

The whole idea is that which we worship must be worthy of our worship. This is one reason it is so important to know God – we must come to a resolution in our minds about His worthiness. Do I really truly believe that He is worthy of my worship?

Here again is another reason why it is crucial to know God. As I said, knowing God is indispensable in worshipping God. The more you know of God, the more you are able to trust in God, and the more you trust God the greater is the sense of worthiness.

It is not difficult to gauge your sense of worth-ship. Are you worshipping? If so you are doing so because you have judged Him worth of worship. The greater the sense of worth, the greater the degree of worship. You will find that worship is experiencing God on a very personal level. Worship is born out of a relationship. We see this in the life of David.

"Worship the Lord," sang David, "in the splendor of holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29) "For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and to praise Him is becoming." (Psalm 147:1)

Worship is at its best when one has a high view of God. Might I suggest reading the Psalms – if you would know God read the Psalms.