August 2011
Make It So Report Volume 7
MOVING FROM PRAISE TO WORSHIP By Minister Donald Graham Jr. I honestly believe that the true purpose of praise has become diluted by the lack of authentic worship in our sanctuaries. There is a misperception in many churches that promotes the idea that praise supersedes worship. Yes I know that when the praises go up the blessings come down, but worship is the prerequisite for having a TRUE and AUTHENTIC relationship with God. For what good is the blessing if you have no wisdom regarding how to handle it let alone use it for the kingdom? Praise does have its rightful place and serves a unique purpose. For it is the outward expression of the abundance of joy in our hearts toward God. It should not be contingent upon what He has done for us but rather who He is to us. The praise and worship portion of church service is our opportunity to give thanks and shout unto God with a voice of triumph. By giving God the ‘fruit of our lips’ we permeate the atmosphere with a sweet smelling savor which fills His nostrils and causes Him to inhabit our praises. Hence we are instructed by the psalmist to ‘Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.’ (Psalms 100:4) Praise in general means making positive statements about someone. Worship is the act of showing devotion. Praise can be about anything, it can be about a person, an item, a place, a concept or just about anything one wants to promote or talk good about. Praise may or may not always be about one’s devotion or their sentiments toward God. Praise is normally to glorify an accomplishment. Since most people are responsive to praise it may generally be done to perk up the spirits and raise someone’s confidence level. Worship is normally unconditional and an expression of gratitude to almighty God simply because of who He is. I do believe that praise should be an integral part of the worship process, however, it should invariably be accompanied by thanks and gratitude towards God. Praise by itself is not really considered worship. I believe the problem arises when people go through the external motions of praise and worship but do not put their heart into it. In John 4:23-24 Jesus said, 'But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.’ For it is when we find our place of worship that God begins to share His purpose and plan for our lives. It is through worship that He reveals the mysteries hidden in His divine will, and it is through worship that He moves us from the mundane to the miraculous. If we want to see the blind recover their sight in our churches, we must get back to worshipping Him. If we want to see the lame walk in our churches, we must be intentional about worshipping Him, however if we become blinded by the notion that simply ‘getting our praise on’ is enough to sustain us on our journey...then I guess we’ll just have to settle for church as usual. Be Blessed
14