thinking about the meaning. It is so much easier to offer clichés
in worship instead of making the effort to honor God with fresh
words and ways. This is why I encourage you to read Scripture in
different translations and paraphrases. It will expand
your expressions of worship.
Tr y praising God without using the words praise,
hallelujah, thanks,or amen.Instead of saying, “We
just want to praise you,” make a list of synonyms and
use fresh words like admire, respect, value, revere,
honor,and appreciate.
Also, be specific. If someone approached you and repeated, “I
praise you!” ten times, you would probably think, For what? You
would rather receive two specific compliments than twenty vague
generalities. So would God.
Another idea is to make a list of the different names of God
and focus on them. God’s names are not arbitrary; they tell us
about different aspects of his character. In the Old Testament,
God gradually revealed himself to Israel by introducing new
names for himself, and he commands us to praise his name.^8
God wants our corporate worship gatherings to be thoughtful,
too. Paul devotes an entire chapter to this in 1 Corinthians 14
and concludes, “Everything should be done in a fitting and
orderly way.”^9
Related to this, God insists that our worship services be
understandable to unbelievers when they are present in our
worship gatherings. Paul observed, “Suppose some strangers are in
your worship service, when you are praising God with your spirit. If
they don’t understand you, how will they know to say, ‘Amen’? You
may be worshiping God in a wonderful way, but no one else will be
helped.”^10 Being sensitive to unbelievers who visit your worship
gatherings is a biblical command. To ignore this command is to
be both disobedient and unloving. For a full explanation of this,
see the chapter on “Worship Can Be a Witness” in The Purpose-
Driven Church.
The Purpose-Driven Life 104DAY THIRTEEN:
WORSHIP
THAT
PLEASES
GOD