We often treat worship and the singing of songs in church synonymously. I’ve always known that worship was more than just singing songs but I never really took the time to study it from Scripture. So I decided to study worship more deeply and go through every direct reference to worship in the Bible to better understand what it really means. I decided to take the result of that study and write a song about some of the things I learned. The rest of this post looks at some of the thoughts behind the lines of the song titled “My Attitude.”
I bow down
There are so many references to worship being associated with bowing down. It’s a natural response of surrender, especially to someone who’s greater than you or to someone who does something so amazing. I really like this verse from 2 Chronicles 7:3 where the Israelites were awestruck at the glory of God in the temple and the fire that came down: “When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’”
I lay down my crowns
All the things that matter most to me
This is actually not a direct reference to the elders casting their crowns in Revelation. Instead, it’s a reference to crowns that are part of a collection of crown jewels. Crown jewels are your most valuable and highly prized assets. They are heavily guarded. When I worked at certain companies, the “crown jewels” of the company were so tightly guarded that very few people had access to them. The second line (all the things that matter most to me) is added to clarify this meaning. See these references for a better understanding: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-crown-jewels/ and https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/crownjewels.asp. As I studied through Scripture, I realized that true worship was handing over the most valuable things of your life over to God. This could be different things for different people - money, wealth, titles, status, time, other people, etc. What are the things that matter most to you? What are the most heavily guarded areas of your life that you are unwilling to hand over to Jesus?
I offer my life
A sacrifice
To please You Lord for all eternity
This is a direct reference to Romans 12:1 - “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.” I love this verse because I feel like it summarizes many aspects of worship in just one line. The way you live your life is true worship; it’s not limited to a few acts like bowing down, or offering sacrifices or singing. Those are just snapshots of worship.
The chorus is just reiterating this idea and amplifying it.
Lord I worship You
That’s my attitude
You deserve the glory and the praise
I’ve titled this song “My Attitude” so let me explain this line a bit. You can bow down and it not be worship. You can sing Christian songs and it not be worship. You can give tithes and offerings and it not be worship. Inward intention (the posture of your heart) is just as important as the outward action (the posture of your body). Put another way, your attitude in worship is just as important as the acts of worship. I love these verses from Micah 6:7-8. “Will the Lord be please with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, o mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Loving and serving God and others with an attitude of humility is worship. Amos also conveys the same sentiment in Amos 5:21-24 - “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” In the New Testament, Hebrews 13:16 also reminds us of this, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Lord I worship You
In all I do
Forever I will lift Your holy name
When you have the right posture, true worship of our God can be achieved in everything you do. It’s not just limited to certain days or certain parts of your day or in certain places. Your entire life can be an act of worship.
I stand in awe
Of Your great power
All Your works proclaim Your majesty
As David reflects on God in Psalm 145, he says in verse 3-7, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” David is awestruck by God’s greatness and acknowledges that no one can fathom it. Later in verse 10 he says, “All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.” An understanding of God’s greatness leads to worship.
I bring to You
An offering
Praises to the mighty King of Kings
This is a direct reference to Hebrews 13:15, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” We can worship God through our praises - it’s a way of giving thanks to Him because He is not just any king. He is the King of Kings.
To You be the glory
To You be the honor
To You be the power
Forever
Amen
This is a direct reference to Revelation 4:11 - “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” This is what the twenty four elders say as they lay their crowns before the throne of God and worship him day and night (see verse 10). All glory and honor and power belongs to our God because He is our creator and we were made to worship Him!
Here’s the complete song:
Stanza 1:
I bow down
I lay down my crowns
All the things that matter most to me
I offer my life
A sacrifice
To please You Lord for all eternity
Chorus:
Lord I worship You
That’s my attitude
You deserve the glory and the praise
Lord I worship You
In all I do
Forever I will lift Your holy name
Stanza 2:
I stand in awe
Of Your great power
All Your works proclaim Your majesty
I bring to You
An offering
Praises to the mighty King of Kings
Bridge:
To You be the glory
To You be the honor
To You be the power
Forever
Amen