(27) The Heart of Worship is Vertical

(Note: This is part of a continuing series of posts on The Heart of Worship & Psalm 95)

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD

In scripture we find both a horizontal, man to man expression of worship and also a vertical, man to God expression. Both are valid and both have their place in biblical, God honoring worship. But, while vertically expressed worship is appropriate in the absence of horizontal expression, horizontal worship is never appropriate if it is not joined with an ultimate focus on vertical worship.

Psalm 95 begins with a call to a vertical focus in worship: "O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD." Genuine, biblical worship always exalts God as the one to be worshiped. If it is not God-centered, exalting Him, praising Him, and delighting in Him it is not biblical worship.

Horizontal, man to man expression of worship is an act of giving testimony to others, declaring God’s goodness and blessing. Such testimonies are edifying, and certainly bring glory to God. They are an important part of worship, but their focus is more on us – it is communication one to another. In scripture, this declaration is joined with a call to others to turn the focus from the blessing to the blesser and worship of God for His goodness and blessing.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
(Psalm 105:1-3 NAU)

Here in Psalm 105, we see horizontal worship in an expression of what God has done, declaring His truth and glory. But notice that the focus on God’s blessing is in the context of a primary focus on worshiping God.

Vertical, man to God worship, has God as its primary focus, expressing adoration and praise directly to Him. Vertical worship leads us to worship God simply for who He is, not just the benefit we receive in relationship with Him.

My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing,
I will sing praises, even with my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn!
I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens
And Your truth reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth.
(Psalm 108:1-5 NAU)

So, worship should include a horizontal aspect of declaring God’s greatness to others. But, we must assure that this horizontal testimony and encouragement always directs the focus to God as the one to be praised. We must not stop at the point of focusing on the blessings. We must move beyond the blessings to worship the blesser.

But there is another important aspect of vertical, God-focused worship. Worship is simply about value. It is our response to what we value the most. True worship of God has at its core the belief that God is the highest value and is therefore worthy of worship above all else. Vertical worship is valuing God and His fame above everything else. Worship is declaring and demonstrating God’s worth above everything else.

Whenever I put anything above God I become an idolater. I can worship God or I can worship an idol. If I sing, "Lord, you are more precious than silver" and yet my choices in how I spend my money say I value something more than God (silver), my choices and actions say I don’t value God above all else.

We may not say we worship our stuff, but the volume of our actions speak louder than words. Worship is more about what we do from the heart than what we say from the lips!


Soli Deo Gloria

Next: The Heart of Worship is Joyful & Excited!