Myths of Musical Styles: “Play worship now,” “Sing a praise!” “Sing a song with an attitude of worship!”

What does this really mean? We tend to immediately think of a genre of music, often more Western than Eastern, when we talk about praise and worship. It is clearly expressed in the Bible that praise, and especially worship, does not necessarily mean singing first. Praise is not synonymous with lively music, and worship is not equal to sentimental hymns. This misconception may stem from the distortion of a Hebrew term, Yadah, which was originally associated with gestures accompanying praise, the confession of God’s name (120 times: #Ge 29:35; 49:8; #Ps 49:19 …). This word means to give a confession of thanks, as in Psalms 109:30,

“I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.”

It also includes the idea of giving thanks with hands stretched out towards God and making shouts and noise while dancing, as written in Psalms 33:2, “Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.”

Because of this meaning, many now only see dancing and shouts of joy in praise, and tears and sweetness in worship, suitable for meditation.

But these two concepts associated with worship go beyond music and should not be understood solely based on our contemporary, classical, or evangelical/charismatic music. We need to move beyond the boundaries imposed by this myth to discover the full extent of the concepts of praise and worship.

It’s true that when we love, we speak. But love isn’t only expressed in words.

Myths of the Moment: “We have arrived at the moment of worship now.”

Another extreme idea is to consider worship as a moment, a lapse of time when we offer a prayer called worship, outside of which we do something else. Worship is so important to God that He demands it from us every second of our existence. Worshiping God is not limited to the moment when we tell Him what He means to us, whether privately or publicly, because worship is more about a relationship than a performance.

This myth is fueled by the inability to answer the question “how can worship be a lifestyle?” Faced with this question, some of us confine ourselves to a religious act and neglect the teaching that Christ gave to the Samaritan woman about worshiping the Father in spirit and truth. “The most enlightened men, who recognize God’s hand in the details of their everyday lives, never fail to praise Him.”

Myths of Words: “One who speaks well is a true worshiper.”

Praise is not just for dancers, and the worshiper is not just a poet filled with words who has memorized all the names of God in the Bible. Worship begins before words: “in spirit and in truth,” and praise is made up only of expressions that arise from contemplating God’s actions that reveal His nature and character. This myth comes from a misunderstanding of the text that speaks of sacrifices of praise as the fruit of lips.

“It is through Him that we offer praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.” Hebrews 13:15

It’s true that when we love, we speak, but love isn’t just in words; it’s in actions and attitudes that express the depth of the relationship between two beings. When words contradict our actions, it becomes a lie, a lifeless religion, and God detests lip service from a distant heart.

Myths of Sensations: “I don’t feel like praising today.”

Praise is not based on feelings but rather on a clear knowledge of the person of God. One who praises and worships God certainly expresses emotions, but they do not need sensations before praising and do not condition their worship on what they feel in the moment; they are not dependent on it.

In the Scriptures, we see David expressing various emotions several times, but he does not condition his praise on the feelings of the moment. He commands his soul to praise the Lord even when he is downcast within him.

Psalms 42:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.“

Psalms 42:11 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.“

Sensations may arise when we express our love for God in songs and prayers, but they are not an effective indicator of genuine praise from the heart or solid markers of someone who truly worships in spirit. Worship is more than an act that begins and ends when we want it to; it is a life to be lived even after death.

This text is an extract from the book “Redefine: Praise, Worship and Worship” written by Athom’s Mbuma Nkanda.

We invite you to read the second part of the article “Myths about the definition of praise and worship, Continued”.