Summer 1981
True Worship
Dick Braswell

True worship is one of the most important activities you can engage in on this earth. Jesus said true worshippers worship the Father in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23). The most important thing you can do in preparation for ministry is stay in the presence of God. You may have the mechanics, knowledge, ability and talent, but your ministry will never reach its fullest degree, will never succeed in the eyes of God, unless you spend time with Him.

You will have to make time, because Satan will see to it that you become so occupied and busy doing good things you won’t have time to do the most important—staying in the presence of God. When you behold the glory of God, enter into His presence, worship Him in spirit and in truth, then you will make an impact on the world. What you say and what you do will bless the kingdom of God.

When we come into God’s presence, we are to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4). Be thankful; let your heart be bubbling over with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving centers on what God has done for you, what God has provided for you.

The tabernacle in the wilderness was divided into sections, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies representing the presence of God. The tabernacle courtyard was enclosed and had a gate facing east. The tribe of Judah camped on the eastward side—Judah means praise. Many have entered the courtyard; some have made it into the Holy Place, but our objective is to enter the Holy of Holies, to be in the presence of God, to behold His glory, to see His face. We begin with a thankful heart; begin listing things to thank God for. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving; don’t come with your desires, wants and needs. Come just thanking God.

Praise is a prerequisite of worship; it leads into worship. What is praise? It is celebrating. It is saying, “Hooray for God!” It is shouting encouragement; rejoicing in victory. Praise is noisy. The Bible says, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. . .” Why? “ . . .for His might acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him; with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals; praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150).

How many of you are breathing? Then you are commanded to praise the Lord. Praise is dancing before the Lord, shouting, clapping your hands. Praise is a physical reaction to the presence of God, and it is marked by joy, shouting, dancing, exuberance and freedom. Sometimes it makes you want to run, leap, shout amen or lift your hands. You whole being begins to react in thankfulness to God.

Praise is the gateway of the courtyard which leads into worship. We begin with thanksgiving; we come into the courts of praise, but our objective is not just to run, dance, shout and clap our hands. It is only a way into the presence of God. Praise is the courtyard which leads us into the Shekinah presence of God.

Not long ago I was in a service which began with an exuberant note of rejoicing, shouting, praising and dancing. It was tremendous! Then the hand of God swept over the congregation, and suddenly there was a hush. People began to get on their knees and prostrate themselves on their faces. They began to worship, and it wasn’t noisy anymore. The presence of God was so thick, and all over the congregation people were loving God. They weren’t moaning, groaning, or sighing as if in pain; they were worshipping God in quietness. Hundreds of people were on their faces all over the floor for an hour or more. Then the spirit of praise swept across the congregation again, and they started dancing, worshipping, clapping their hands and shouting before God.

At first they had begun with thanksgiving, then the spirit of praise swept across the congregation, and then worship. It was as though each person was in the Holy of Holies with God. I didn’t preach, and the choir didn’t sing. The Holy Spirit baptized 15 people and they began to speak in other tongues. We didn’t anoint with oil; we didn’t call the elders; we didn’t lay hands on them. Yet all across the congregation people began to rejoice that their bodies had been physically headed because God’s presence had so permeated their beings. People were saved, without preaching or instruction. I didn’t do anything; God did the work.

Worship is becoming aware of the awesomeness, the greatness, the glory of God. And when you become aware of that, you react physically. We cannot set a pattern; it isn’t a mechanical thing to enter God’s presence. There is no formula with which we can manipulate God. It is motivated by desire on the part of the worshipper to see God; it is spontaneous. God is sovereign, and He operates in infinite ways. He’s a God of variety.

When you’re praising God and suddenly you feel like reacting physically, do it. Don’t be afraid of what people think. Don’t allow fear or your flesh to keep you out of the Holy of Holies. Don’t be restricted by pride, tradition, custom, or your neighbor. Whatever the Spirit of God speaks to you, react to His presence. Be uninhibited in your response to the presence of God. Pride will keep you out of God’s best, but your whole life will be revolutionized when you discover uninhibited praise in the presence of God.

Praise is comely; the Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people. When Jesus comes again, He is coming for a Church which is praising Him, one which is celebrating. Did you know your flesh will rebel with every ounce of its being against what God wants you to do? You must take dominion over your flesh and cause it to submit to your spirit. You command your flesh; command it to bow to God.

Seek a fresh revelation of Jesus; it will motivate you to seek God and to stay in His presence. A fresh revelation of Jesus will drive you into the Holy of Holies, because you will want to absorb His presence. I encourage you to be thankful, to praise and worship. Let us get apart from the hurry and clamor of a busy life and minister to Him today.

Printed by permission from Christ for the Nations Magazine, Dallas, Texas.