(Adapted from the paper “Why We Worship” by Carl Tuttle)
As we begin to approach God in a fresh way
and enter into worship, there are some principles we can
apply to facilitate a meaningful and whole-hearted
experience. If worship is occurring and the Holy Spirit
comes among the people, then many will naturally be drawn
into His presence. If we come to our God recognizing our
deep lack before Him and respond to Him with openness and a
sincere desire for more of Him, then we especially place
ourselves in a position to receive. To the degree that we
will admit our own need for God and be vulnerable before
him, we open ourselves to His supernatural ministry.
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek
You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a
dry and thirsty land where these is no water. So I have
looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your
glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my
lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I
will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be
satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall
praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have
been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will
rejoice. My soul follows close behind You/ Your right hand
upholds me.”
– Psalm 63:1-8
As we come together and actually begin to
worship, an important principle is that of receptivity.
Steve Robbins says to “first, dial down and open yourself up
to the ministry of the Holy Spirit as you focus on Jesus
Christ. This will make you receptive.” As our desire to
bless and experience God is communicated to Him through
worship, the Holy Spirit comes to us. We need never to be
afraid to open up without reservation to God in this way,
for He promises to give us what is good. If we ask for the
presence of the Holy Spirit then he will come and touch us.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which
of our fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a
snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a
scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke
11:9-13
It is also important for us to be genuine as
we worship. It is unfruitful to manufacture or work up
something. Our sincerity and honesty before God and others
will keep us properly focused as we worship. Steve Robbins
identifies this as the principle of reality. “Be genuine.
Humble your heart before God, forsake anything hardening
your heart to the ministry of God’s Spirit, and lovingly
respond to God in a way that reflects honesty and harmony in
the inner and outer person. Reality honors the balance of
not being distracted by others in your responsiveness to
God, and not being a distraction to others in your
expressiveness towards God. Your discernment on how to
negotiate this balance will develop as healing takes place
in your heart. Remember, though, God-consciousness should be
a priority over self-consciousness.”
Another principle is that of release. We
need to let the outer person reflect genuine responsiveness
of the inner person. This will increase our interaction with
the presence of God and will bring wholeness to the total
person. Just as suppressed emotions degenerate the
personality, so spiritual suppression deflates the spirit.
Worship and praise is a glorious release of the inner being.
