Praise And Worship Description
The praise-and-worship tradition is found mainly among charismatic churches and those churches influenced by recent innovations in both liturgical and nonliturgical bodies. The article below makes a distinction between praise, which is directed to God for God's acts, and worship, which is directed to God for God's person.
Some ten years ago, when I wrote the book Let Us Praise, I consistently interchanged the words praise and worship for, at that level of my walk with God, I accepted them as synonymous terms. During the intervening years I have observed that the Scriptures do not interchange these words but rather teach that praise prepares us for worship, or that praise is a prelude to worship. Psalm 95 is a good example of this principle. It begins:
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. (vv. 1–2, kjv)
That this is praise none would dispute. It is joyful, melodious, demonstrated, and declared praise directed to God. But it is only after this praise has been fully expressed unto God that the psalmist invites us:
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. (v. 6)
The order is praise first, worship second. The same pattern is found in Psalm 96, where we are reminded:
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord … the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. (vv. 4, 7–8)
It is only after clearly orchestrating the form of praise that was to be offered unto God that the inspired writer added, "O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth" (v. 9). So while worship may be dependent upon praise, praise is not a substitute for worship; it is, however, a blessed supplement to it.
The frontal attack of praise is a positive response Godward, based far more upon his deeds than on his person. Repeatedly the psalmist urges us to praise the Lord for the things he has done. Moses wrote the song of praise extolling God's dramatic rescue of Israel through the Red Sea; Hannah sang praises to God for giving Samuel to her after a long period of childlessness; and Psalm 107 three times exhorts us, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (verses 8, 21, 31, kjv).
This thrust of praise is prescribed, proper, and very profitable, and it is certainly a step beyond thanksgiving; but it is admittedly concerned far more with what God has done for us than with who God actually is. Praise tends to be more concerned with God's presents than with God's presence.
A diversity between praise and worship might be the method of expression used. Each must be expressed through the channel of our bodies, so quite obviously, there will be many similarities between them, but a trained observer will also see great dissimilarities.
For instance, praise is very vocal, while worship is often void of much speaking. Some declare that praise is the vocal end of worship, and while there is some truth in that statement, it bypasses the very real possibility and common reality of praising without ever worshiping. Two lovers on a walk have much to talk about, but when they are locked in an embrace, words seem superfluous. So it is, often, in worship.
Praise is often physically demonstrative with great action, while deep worship is far more likely to be physically submissive than physically active. We might say that praise tends to be emotional while worship is devotional, and that praise is often loudly exuberant while worship is more apt to be quietly exultant.
Would we better understand this contrast if we said that praise puts love into words and action while worship puts love into touch and relationship? Each is important, but worship is higher and the more intimate.
We cannot bypass praise or negate it, for it is the route into worship. The musical channel for the release of praise is perhaps the most gentle route into worship that God has given us. But we do not desire to remain in praise when God's presence makes worship a distinct possibility.