As we welcome the new year, it’s natural to make many resolutions, but the most important one should be worship. Worship reflects our attitude toward God. The reason we participate in church services to worship isn’t because someone we like is there, it isn’t because of the music, and it isn’t because of the beneficial message. While these may serve as minor reasons, worship is fundamentally about meeting the person of God.
Therefore, whenever I think about worship, I remind myself that I am not there to fulfill my role as a preacher. Instead, I come with a full awareness of God, directing my entire heart toward Him. God has promised, “There I will meet with you, and I will bless you, and speak to you, and manifest My glory—My presence—wherever My name is remembered, that is, in places of worship” (Exodus 29:42-43). With this unwavering expectation, I approach the place of worship. And indeed, each time I worship in this way, I experience peace and renewed strength in my heart.
“…In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.” (Exodus 20:24)
In recent years, I have emphasized the time of prayer during worship. After the sermon, we sing a praise song related to the message and pour out our hearts in prayer to God. The desire to do this came about while I preached about the tabernacle (the holy tent) described in Leviticus. God, who saved the Israelites from Egypt, led them to Mount Sinai, where He established a covenant with them like a marriage ceremony. The first thing He taught them was how to worship Him—an expression of God’s deep longing to meet His sinful people in any way possible.
The worship in the tabernacle began with an offering in the outer court, where an animal was sacrificed and burned. This points to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The blood from the sacrifice was then carried into the Holy Place, the first room of the tabernacle. Inside, there was a lamp providing light, and opposite it, a table holding twelve loaves of bread representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The life of God’s people is to shine light with good deeds and live in total devotion to Him like the lamp and the bread wholly devoted to God.
Finally, the priest would stand before the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence dwelled. A thick curtain separated this space, and an altar of incense stood before it. The high priest entered the Most Holy Place only once a year, and the smoke of incense rising from the altar would veil the room. Even then, sinful humans couldn’t fully behold the perfect God, but God still longed to meet His people.
The culmination of worship was the burning of incense, which symbolized the prayers of the saints (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 8:3). Therefore, the most profound moment in worship occurs when sincere prayers connect our hearts with God’s. This is why prayer is given prominence during Sunday worship and why we dedicate significant time for prayer during Wednesday services. This year, whether in personal or family worship, let’s ensure we include moments of heartfelt prayer to meet with God. Worship is the most intense spiritual battleground, so even when it feels difficult, let’s persevere until it is firmly established in our lives.
