Worship is More Than Music

What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? If you are like me, you probably think of music. But worship is so much more than music.

In fact, in the Old Testament the emphasis is not on music at all. In the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy), the word “worship” appears fifty times in the NIV. None of those passages include a reference to music.

It looks as if music became more a part of worship during the time of King David. David was a singer and a musician and it made sense for him to include music. Many of the Psalms that we regularly use are attributed to David.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t include music in our worship. For many people, a classic hymn or a contemporary song is exactly what brings them into God’s presence. Music is a valuable tool for our purpose of worshiping God.

But worship is not exactly the same as worship.

When Amanda and I put together the service for our first online service, we originally didn’t include any songs. The addition of Amazing Grace was at the last minute.

What I am trying to say is that you don’t need musical ability or even access to worship music to worship God. We can do it through prayer and Bible readings. We can do it by acts of service. We can do it through our tithes and offerings.

Worship God. Worship God with music and song. But worship God in other ways as well. The sky is the limit!