Bowing Down in Worship (Psalm 95:6)

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker - Psalm 95:6

What does it mean to worship? What is the difference between true worship and superficial worship? And why does God want us to worship Him in the first place?

The Hebrew and Greek words translated into English as "worship" offers us a valuable insight.

Both Shachah (Hebrew) and Proskuneo (Greek) literally mean to "bow down."

In the minds of ancient people, worshipping and bowing down were inseparably connected to one another.

We have lost this sense through translation into the English language.

And what does it mean to bow down? It means to surrender yourself to the one to whom you are bowing. It means to "give them your neck" - to place your life in their hands as if to say "you can choose to kill me or let me live, my life belongs to you."

This must be the posture of our hearts when we think about worship.

True worship is not just singing songs or praying prayers. True worship is the complete emptying of oneself before God in order than he may be filled to overflowing with the Divine Love of Christ.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1b-2