“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.” (Ps 95:2-3)

Each weekend, I gather with other believers to participate in our praise and worship service at church. On a few occasions, I’ve gone to special services that have been set up outside of the traditional service times and are just music and songs. I enjoy both traditional and contemporary music. Years ago, I attended a church with a wonderful blend of both old and new songs. There’s something to be said for traditional songs that were borne out of hardship and persecution. But I believe contemporary songs that built upon Scripture help reinforce God’s word through song have their own place as well.

In the Bible, we see both praise and worship mentioned numerous times. Praise, specifically, is mentioned about 250 times. Praise is typically a joyful expression of all God has done for us: “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth” (Is 12:5). Praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Ps 100:4).

Worship, on the other hand, takes things to another level. Worship is more than the music and songs we sing; it’s also the state of our hearts. Worship should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8). In Scripture, acts of worship are usually accompanied by kneeling or bowing. This shows contrition as we allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and bring us to an attitude of repentance. When we worship God, we come into alignment with his will and acknowledge him as Lord of our lives.

Praise and worship are both integral aspects of a Christian’s life. While these concepts are different, they are intertwined. When we praise God for all he has done, we will feel the weight of his love. Then, in turn, we will worship him, feeling the weight of his love more deeply. Praise and worship keep our hearts focused on God and away from ourselves.

Dear Jesus, I praise you for your greatness and all you have done in my life. I worship you and turn to you as the King of Kings and Lord of all. Amen.