The commercial for Worship Jamz begins with the narrator saying “It’s worship time!”, immediately followed with song and dance.
I would be just fine with that if it wasn’t for the fact that they have grossly misunderstood worship, and I challenge any singer of “worship music” to show me in Scripture where song is connected with worship. I just surveyed every verse where “worship,” “worshipping” or “worshippeth” appears, and never does Scripture say that when we are worshipping, we are singing. Worship is connected to service and it is connected to be being face down in humility before God.
In other words, we are more worshipful when we are knelt down praying to God than when we are singing and dancing to “praise and worship” music, which should honestly be called simply “praise” music, which is what it is.
I am saddened over the fact that in the minds of a vast majority, worship involves singing and dancing.
Friends, this is not worship. Worship is a humbling experience that draws us face down before God. Worship is true realization of who we are and who God is, that we aren’t worthy of his grace, that we owe him our all.
Matt Redman sings, “I’ll bring you more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required. You search much deeper within through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart. I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you. It’s all about you, Jesus.”
Those simply lyrics are closer to worship than most anything else I’ve heard in the “praise and worship” genre, and I remember reading that Redman wrote that song specifically for that reason, to call us back to biblical worship.
No doubt we should give praise and thanks for all the wonderful blessings. But we need to get back to the heart of worship, allowing ourselves to be broken, crucified with Christ, laid out in the revelation that HE IS and that we are nothing.
I forgot to mention that I did find one verse which mentions worship and singing together: “All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah” (Psalm 66:4). Still worship and singing are not tied together as being the same; they are simply two things which will be done.