What Does It Mean To Worship God?
In Alma, chapter 32, Alma begins teaching a group of poor Zoramites who’d been cast out from the synagogues because of “the coarseness of their apparel.” These people were distraught, believing they had nowhere to worship, so they appealed to Alma.
“. .. Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests: for they have cast us out of our synagogues . . .because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do? (verse 5).”
The people believed that they could only worship in their synagogue and since they were not allowed to enter, they could not worship God. Sometimes, it may be confusing to know what it means to worship God. Many may believe, as these poor Zoramites, that worship only happens on Sunday when we attend church and partake of the sacrament. Or we are only truly worshipping when we attend the temple.
Alma replies in Alma 32:10, “Behold, I say unto you, do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues?” In verse 11 he adds, “And moreover, I would ask, do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?”
Alma was trying to teach the people that true worship of God can happen anywhere and at any time. Worship should be part of our daily lives.
But what does it mean to worship God, and how do we worship Him every day?
Definition of Worship
Merriam-Webster defines worship as honoring or showing reverence for a divine being.
As we seek to honor God by our words and our actions, we are worshipping Him. When we are reverent or showing respect, we are, again, worshipping God.
Being loyal to Him and to the promises we’ve made to Him as well as showing unwavering devotion to Him is also worship.
Worship then, means to recognize Heavenly Father as the Supreme Being and use our words and actions to honor Him.
We are reminded every Sunday as we partake of the sacrament to “always remember him.” We do this as we think about Him throughout our day and remember the covenants we have made to keep His commandments.
Ways We Can Worship
Reading Scriptures. Studying His word and learning more about Him allows us to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better and develop a relationship with Them. If we want to know God, we must go to the scriptures. As we study and turn to the Lord, we will receive personal revelation. “To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!” (Neal A. Maxwell 1986)
His words are living water. We will not thirst or hunger if we fill ourselves with the word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. The more we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, the closer we will feel to our Father and to His Son, and the more we will be guided by the Spirit.
Praying Daily. When we take time to speak to Heavenly Father, we worship Him. Communicating with Him—both speaking and listening—helps us to develop a relationship with Him. “Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take.” (Russell M. Nelson, 2018).
Personal revelation allows us to build and strengthen our relationship with God as we learn to trust and follow His promptings.
Hymns. Both listening to and singing hymns brings the Spirit into our homes and lives. “Music is an effective way to worship our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.” (Dallin H. Oaks)
Boyd K. Packer taught, “Music can set an atmosphere of worship which invites [the] spirit of revelation, of testimony.”
As part of our nightly routine for the last four decades, we sing a hymn together as a family. Though we aren’t necessarily singers, we have always loved to sing songs. On Sundays, we like to listen to the hymns throughout the day because it brings such a calming, peaceful feeling into our home.
Loving and Serving our Neighbor. When we go about “anxiously engaged in a good cause” (D&C 58:27) and seeking to help those around us, we are worshipping God. We are His hands as we minister to His children. King Benjamin taught that as we serve those around us, we are serving God.
Attending the Temple. Many of us live close enough now to attend the temple as often as our circumstances permit. Even if we don’t live close enough to attend regularly, we can still have an attitude of worshipping God in His holy house when we can attend. Inside the temple, we can experience peace, calm, and joy that the world cannot duplicate as we do sacred work for those who cannot do it for themselves. We serve as saviors on Mount Zion, which allows us to worship our God.
Acknowledging His Hand. Some years ago, a close family member was involved in a catastrophic car accident. He should not have survived, but through a series of miraculous events, he did. As he went through surgeries and rehabilitation, we tried to acknowledge God and His mercy in every way we could. We regularly posted on social media and witnessed that God was in the details and that it was only through His power that our family member survived.
Nothing offends God more than not acknowledging His hand (D&C 59:21). Every morning we wake, every breath we take, every part of our lives is granted to us from a loving Heavenly Father. All that we have belongs to Him. From the beautiful world we live in to the inner workings of our bodies, it is by God’s great power, and when we acknowledge Him, we are worshipping Him.
Gratitude We can never be worthy of all the blessings the Lord pours out on us. When we recognize how much He has given us and take time to be grateful, we are worshipping Him.
Using a gratitude journal can help us to recognize blessings and show gratitude for each one of our blessings.
While experiencing the excruciating trial of losing a child to cancer, I was struck by the way my sister expressed her gratitude. She was grateful for the opportunity to care for her ailing daughter. She was grateful for each time she could hold her hand and cuddle with her. She was grateful for every day she had. Even though it was heart wrenching, my sister and brother-in-law expressed gratitude for every blessing they were receiving.
Being Obedient How do we show our love for God? “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). When we are obedient to the commandments and honor the covenants we’ve made, we are showing our love for God.
God wants to know that He has our hearts. We show Him what is in our hearts when we are obedient to his commands. We find the commandments in the scriptures as well as from modern-day prophets. The more willingly we are obedient, the more it shows our love for Him.
When we put Him first and put His will ahead of ours, we are showing love for Him. Fulfilling callings, such as ministering to our brothers and sisters, shows our love for Him. Each time we try to keep a commandment, our obedience communicates our love.
Worship Every Day
Worship isn’t reserved for church meetings on Sundays or when we’re in the temple, though we are worshipping Him when we attend meetings and the temple. We can worship Him in our homes, in our cars, at work, or at school. Worshipping God means that we remember Him each day through our words and actions, we seek to serve Him as we abound in good works, and we show our respect and reverence for Him in all places and at all times.
