Praise and Worship, FAQ

I am thrilled with the responses and types of questions I am receiving from readers of this site. Thank you for your participation- it really helps focus the type of posts that are coming up. Today, I decided to do a Frequently Asked Questions about Praise and Worship.  Specifically, we’re talking about the music or song service that usually begins a church meeting.  The questions are:

1)  What’s the difference between the two and why do we do it?

2)  Does there have to be music and singing? Does it have to be hymns?

3)  I see people lift their hands, and sometimes I see them cry. Why?

4)  I don’t feel anything during the song service. Am I weird?

5)  God is God all by himself, why does He need my praise?

1) What’s the difference between praise and worship?

Participating in praise allows you to reflect on the goodness of God and all that He has done. Typically, songs of praise are characterized by upbeat, lively music and the words are positive, offering encouragement to all who hear it. There are also ballads that qualify as praise, but those are harder to find. Praise is like a vacuum cleaner- it shakes up and loosens dirt and distractions from daily life and prepares us to enter into praise, as well as the rest of the service. It can be loud! That’s okay. Praise expresses aloud the greatness of God,  things about His character that are awesome and things that He has done.  You might not feel great at the beginning of a service, but praise is designed to help your body prepare for interaction with God. I believe that your body hears the words that you sing and begins to peel back the layers so that your heart can be opened.  It is used as a buildup (or a denouement) to worship.

Worship, by contrast, now that you’ve shaken off the week’s troubles and your heart is open, is an opportunity to give God love. Your love is an offering to Him, an expression of gratitude for your life and your salvation; it is ultimately what He desires most out of your relationship! Keeping this in mind, worship music tends to be intimate,  slower and softer, and thematically deal with the emotional aspects of our relationship with Christ. It’s a chance to stand before your Father, your Creator, and through music communicate with Him what He means to you. The posture of worship (we will talk more about this in question 3) tends to be one of humility, contrition and surrender. Good worship is like hitting a reset button: it refocuses your priorities (first, to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength) and in doing so, can help you to live above life’s problems.

We do this for a variety of reasons, but let me start with the Bible: God inhabits (literally lives in) the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). If you have ever desired an encounter with the Lord, like a supernatural visit, it can happen anytime but praise and worship set the atmospheres for interaction, dialogue and miracles. (Yes, miracles!)  Luke 4:8 tells us to worship the Lord and Him only. If we were in the court of a King, and we were told to worship, we would struggle today to figure out what that looks like. I personally think it is more of an attitude, and less of a physical demonstration (but it can be).  In addition to these two examples, there are many places where there is evidence of the people of God praising Him when things go right and when things go wrong.  The book of Psalms is ripe with examples of both praise and worship to God in all kinds of circumstances.  The only other point I would like to make here is that I believe that physical actions (declarations, affirmations, speaking prayer out loud) create spiritual results. Sometimes you come to church and it’s the last place you want to be. Well, praise and worship can completely change your perspective.

2) Does there have to be music and singing? Does it have to be hymns?

Music is a powerful way to communicate our feelings. Something about it sinks into our bodies and penetrates the corners of our minds. Ever had a tune stuck in your ear? I bet you’ve also had a tune deep inside you.  Praise and worship music is designed to give your spirit a song to sing. Sometimes, I catch my spirit singing a song- what I mean is, I’m not thinking of it, it’s not in my ear and I’m not humming along, but suddenly I feel a snippet of that song and voila! I know what my spirit is reflecting to me. If that confuses you, sorry… give it some time, and try to catch your spirit singing.  Once you realize how to be still and listen for it, you’ll be astonished.

Singing gets you to confess with your mouth positivity, when things may not be so positive. But give it some conscious thought, singing can readjust your attitude. I want to encourage you that even if you don’t feel it, still go through the motions of praise and worship and be real with God. Tell Him how you feel, but make a decision to go above your feelings and make the conscious choice to praise Him. Sometimes sacrificial praise leads to some of the sweetest moments (Hebrews 13:15). That same sacrifice of praise can also be interpreted as bringing your very best to Him.  In most cases, you will bring your best because you love Him.

Hymns are beautiful. Some are timeless.  They show that throughout history, the struggles of humanity and spirituality remain the same. And some of those lyrics, penned by great people who faced crazy circumstances, encourage us because we know the story behind the hymn.

I don’t believe that you need to sing hymns for praise and worship. Don’t get me wrong- there are times when it is what your spirit is singing and only a hymn will do. But there is a vast body of contemporary praise and worship out there, ripe for the picking! It’s great to know the songs that you are singing in church. When I hear new songs on Sunday, I try to find them and sing along at home, because once you know the words, it becomes easier to close your eyes and shut out everything else.

3) I see people lift their hands, and sometimes I see them cry. Why?

Good question! Remember when I mentioned posturing? Sometimes people lift their hands towards God as a way of saying, “I surrender everything to you!” When I lift my hands, I am saying, “You are bigger than me! So much bigger and you can do anything! I am your child, and I am reaching out to you Daddy!” I hope I don’t seem extreme to you- I love praise and worship.  When I’m singing something that echoes what is going on in my life, I might raise my hand to God and say, “That’s SO me right now!” And for times when I don’t want to do anything but sulk, I might raise my hands and say, “Look at me! Look at me! Do you see me God?!” Some people bow, on their knees, or lay on the floor before God. And given that worship is an act of loving on God, sometimes we can be moved to tears, for our circumstances and our feelings.  My advice to you is try not to be distracted by what you see around you. Learn the songs, close your eyes and seek to meet God personally. Speak to Him in your mind (or out loud).  Try to hear His voice and be aware of impressions and images He may place on your heart.

I believe that prayer works intricately with praise and worship. Between songs, you are welcome to keep praising God in your own words. More coming on that in the PRAYER FAQ.

4) I don’t feel anything during the song service. Am I weird?

Of course not! I hope no one has told you that! Most people are like fruit: there is a protective shell on the outside protecting what is soft and important on the inside.  Committing your life to Christ is a decision that you make; hopefully feelings are attached (when you realize the hope you have in Him, or when He has brought you through adverse circumstances).  But sometimes, it takes people time to pull back that protective layer and really start to see and feel God changing their lives.

Things happen to us, during life and during the week, that can make it harder for us to participate in praise and worship. Fight through your feelings and choose to participate anyway! God sees your heart and will honour your sacrifice.

5) God is God all by Himself, why does He need my praise?

Another good question! Do you remember the first guy who liked you? Not the one you liked, but the one who chose you. The one who, no matter how you squinted, wasn’t the hottie you always saw yourself with?

Chances are no matter how much he did to get your attention, it could not take away from the fact that you just didn’t feel the same way. Sure, roses are beautiful but they smell so much better when they are from someone you LOVE!

In that same way, God wants us to freely choose to be in relationship with Him. He wants us to praise Him, but He didn’t make us robots who would do so automatically. And because we are each different, the ways that we praise Him will work with our personalities, gifts and talents, and be different every time.  Although God does not need our praise, He desires it and finds it delightful (Psalms 149:4). Our praises are sweet smelling offerings to Him.

Similarly, it is easy to praise God when things are going well for us. But to praise Him in the hallway- while you are waiting for life to cut you slack, when you hang in limbo not knowing what will happen- that kind of praise requires faith, and He is so pleased when we express faith in Him.

It is my prayer that this post helps to clarify for you the difference between praise and worship as well as the purposes for it. I pray that you will have the experience of catching your spirit singing, and that you’ll share it with me in the comments below!