Understanding Praise & Worship in the Kingdom of God

The first thing God gave man was His image, likeness and to live in His presence and this because of natural laws in creation. In all God created He set laws and principles by which the creation is to live and function effectively on earth and so each creature fulfill its purpose; as principles (laws, statues, precepts, commands, decrees…) are rules of operation set by the manufacture for the good functioning of his product and these principles are permanent, works everywhere, can never be broken nor change, they are there to protect the product and when violated, destruction, or cancellation of potential and purpose occur.

One of these principles is the principle of the environment which can be defined as circumstances, conditions a thing exists in, operates in, this is the place designed to individually suit the make-up and purpose of each thing God created.
We see in scriptures how God prepared first the environment and then called out of it the thing that will have the same essence and will have to stay attached to the environment and source in order to live and function. (the law of source and resource) So when God created humans, He called the man out of Himself and so man has His essence and must stay remain attached to God or must stay in God’s presence in order to fulfill his purpose or well-functioning, that is why God placed man in Eden, the place of His presence or garden of God’s presence.

The sin of Adam and Eve was a result of the inherent built-in consequence of violation of the creator ‘s principle (law) to not touch the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, and it resulted in them be put away of Eden, the presence of God which was the ideal environment for them to have dominion over the earth.

Since then, man is malfunctioning and struggling to try to come back into that presence even if so many times, he does not know what is missing for him to well-function and this attempt has brought out many things, religions being one of them… After the man was driven out of Eden, God did not just sit there and watch His masterpiece of creation (man) malfunctioning, He started a program to restore man back to His presence so that he can fulfill his purpose of governing the earth on the behalf of God.

After the man was driven out of Eden, God did not just sit there and watch His masterpiece of creation (man) malfunctioning, He started a program to restore man back to His presence so that he can fulfill his purpose of governing the earth on the behalf of God.
This program of restoration of man back to the presence of God or bring back God’s presence in the midst of His people was first to clean man of sin through the blood of Jesus, so the Holy Spirit can dwell again in a human body, and praise and worship is the way or means that provide the conditions that invite God to comeback to mankind in order to bring back the presence of God as He dwells in praises of His people (PS 22.3) and we see that these praises must be done through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13.15). The idea of God living with His people is not to take humans in heaven but to bring God’s presence to be with humans today on the earth. We see the importance of praise by looking at the tribe of Judah, which means praise, God favored them because of the very signification of their name, praise being God’s dwelling place (PS 22.3).

We don’t have to look for God. Actually He will come to us if we praise Him. Praise is celebration of God by commending Him, expressing approval or favorable judgment, glorifying Him and all of these put God in the first place, flows from our friendship with God, and are conscious choice, willingness sacrifice, expressions of faith. God is to be praised all time no matter what is going on in your personal life, as He is worthy of praises and He never changes, praise does not depend on circumstances but on the nature of God.

You have to praise Him for everything He is doing in your life on a daily basis not only what He did yesterday but also what He is doing right now (sing a new song). Praise must be seen or heard; it cannot be hidden or kept silent. It requires everyone’s effort it is not something someone else can do for you, nothing should hinder you to praise God, as your need to do is more critical than any comfort.

There are various forms of praise in the bible and you must use them without preferring any form to another according to the direction of the Holy Spirit, these forms include singing, shouting, making joyful noises, laughing, thanksgiving, standing, kneeling, clapping of hands, dancing, uplifting hands, speaking and singing in tongues, making music on instruments, your praise will depend on your knowledge of the one you praise.

It is you who need to praise God Not Him who needs your praises, as praises will affect you, not God. Praise is the highest form of faith, as praise based on faith thanks God for what He will do before He does it because you are praising God for who He is He does things because of who He is praise that reaches God takes you beyond the confinement of routines, yet actually follows a progression, which can be seen in seven Hebrew words that are used in the old Testament to describe praise which are:

Todah: means a sacrifice of thanks, the most challenging of the dimensions because it is totally an act of the will. Todah is the result of a conscious choice that takes us beyond our feelings and preferences. It is a sacrifice that tells God, I want you and I am willing to make an effort to be with you. (Ps 50.14)

Yadah: meaning hands extended in reverence or worship, it is the dimension of praise where you begin to take control of your body. (Gen 29.34)

Zamar: primarily means to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument with the sense of playing it or of making music with instruments. You don’t start praise by making music, as music with instruments is to be an extension of your praise not the creation of it. Unfortunately, many churches want to start with music that is why they are devoid of God’s power. (Judges 5.3)

Halal: where we get “Hallelujah” from; means among other things to clamor, leap, dance, to boast; it is when you act like a crazy because you are overwhelmed by the goodness and faithfulness of God. It is abandonment in praise. Some people won’t praise God with Halal because they are too dignified, what a mess. (1 Chron 23.30)

Shabach:means to address in a loud voice particularly with a sense of triumph or can be used to commend God for His character and nature, or command Him to fulfill all He has said He will do. (Ps 63.4)

Barak: be still, silent… the word Barak is a primitive root meaning “to kneel” also means, “to bless God” as in an act of adoration, often comes when the holy Spirit begins to minister, filling the praise that has been offered; it’s the beginning of God’s response in worship. It’s when God begins to talk and we need to be still and let Him minister to us or we will miss prophecy, words of wisdom, encouragement, and edification that He wants to give us. (Ps 96.2)

Tehillah: it is the final dimension of praise. This is a song of the heart or song of the spirit that is given to each individual believer and can’t be learned or duplicated. It is an unpremeditated utterance inspired by the Holy Spirit and it is evident that He is worshiping through us. It is the dwelling place of God (Ps 22.3)

Although these seven dimensions of praise do not occur in the scriptures in a strict order, or even all in the same praise experience, there’s a sense in which one builds upon the other, as the worshiper is caught up into seeking the presence of God.

In the old Testament, the ascension to the mountain of God started with sacrifices, and thanksgiving, only after the sacrifice, was added to the music and other progressions through another dimension of praise. This pattern in praise has not changed; God still requires that we approach Him with a sacrifice before we get into His presence, we seek His favor and blessings.

In essence, not just any praise brings God’s presence to us, only praise that follows His pattern will do. Starting with the sacrifice of a willing heart and a contrite spirit and continuing as we quit ourselves before Him until we yield ourselves completely to Him. Tehillah makes us be in God’s presence, which is different from having the presence of God (which occurs when you are born again). God’s presence comes only to those who meet His conditions.

He doesn’t come only because we want Him to come, but our desire for Him must be shown in ways that meet His standards. We must be totally set apart for God (being holy), live in the truth, purity, and really want His presence.

God is seeking true worshippers whose words and actions match their hearts. Praise and worship are related but very different in definition, activities, and experiences praise is seeking God and worship is being found by Him, praise is what we do and worship is the response of God, praise is building a house, and worship is when God has moved in. I can simply say that praise is what we do to invite God and worship is what we do once He is present in our midst.

Worship is translated mostly from the word to prostrate, bow down or serving, and is not in any way associated with singing or any other thing like that. There is no such thing as a worship song.

When there is an expression of the mouth it is always praised. In the book of Hebrews 13.15 the bible is very clear to what Praise is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. The reason many people confuse worship with a slow song or the kinds is that when you praise God and He shows up, you enter into that moment of stillness.

There is not a worship song but worship is the attitude you adopt. It is like in many functions when a head of state enters everyone raises on his/her feet. When the presence of God comes to dwell in your Praise, you can not stay the way you were before, but we have to differentiate the two. The purpose of praise is to get God into our environment. The power of praise is the presence of God at work in your life. God’s presence brings joy, gives rest, brings peace, attracts the right people, brings blessings, brings power, protects you, and gives you security.

God takes dominion over your environment, disarms Satan, vindicates you. The presence of God brings wisdom and vision, is the answer to all the needs of our world. God’s final goal is to live continually with His people. I can conclude that the most important activity on earth should be praise, as we need God’s presence in order to function properly, no wonder why Hebrews 13.15 tells us to give praise all the time.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about serving much, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she helps me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.