Have you ever asked why worship leaders and certain denominations get really hyped up during worship? You might see dancing, jumping, hands raised, people on the floor, joy, laughter, and weeping.
Are they just trying to draw attention to themselves?
Are they trying to look cool, put on a show, or get to some emotional high?
Or you may even ask if there’s a spirit other than the Holy Spirit operating here.
Coming from someone who’s experienced this kind of worship, I can say that if the heart is in the wrong place then yes, it could be one of those things and it’s important to guard our hearts and let go of pride during worship. I think it’s also important for church leaders to discern spirits so that they can tell what spirit a weird, wild worshipper is being influenced by.
Most of the time, however, I don’t think the above situations are the case. Usually, it is a genuine response from deep within. It’s a response to beholding a God who is so awesome, so wonderful, so good, so faithful and so loving.
We were created to worship this way. We each have a response deep inside us that wants to come out as we behold His glory, whether it be shouting out, clapping, raising hands, dancing for joy, weeping, bowing, sitting or laying on the floor.
I can say from hearing a few worship leaders talk about what they do, that sometimes stepping out and reacting this way or singing a prophetic word can actually be a little terrifying and humiliating because if they fail or look stupid, they’re doing it in front of a whole lot of people. They are taking a risk to be undignified to offer a sacrifice to the Lord - a sacrifice of giving all of themselves to Him and giving Him what He wants. Even worshippers in the congregation will take the same risk - to look undignified before men in order to offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord.
By doing this, we are actually giving Him the kind of praise He demands in scripture.
In scripture, our English translations, unfortunately, do a poor job of translating many of the Hebrew words for “praise”. There are many different words for praise in Hebrew but in the translation to English, some of the meanings were lost.
When you read the scriptures in Hebrew, you’ll see there are many different words for praise which include dancing, lifting up a loud shout, singing your own song, and bowing down before the Lord.
Here are some of those words:
1. Yadah. Yadah means to reveal or worship with extended hands; to hold out the hands; to throw a stone or arrow.
This word in the Hebrew scriptures shows up in Psalm 67:3 “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” This word also appears in a few other places in the Old Testament and is used to describe throwing a stone or shooting an arrow. It is also used when God’s people come together in the assembly.
2. Hallel - means to boast; rave; shine; celebrate; be clamorously foolish. The word “hallelujah” comes from this word.
Hallel is found in Psalm 149:3 “Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp”. The context of this scripture is 38,000 Levites coming together to worship the Lord. Imagine how loud that would be! If you’ve ever experienced a Jewish wedding, you’ll know that the celebration can get loud, joyful, and clamorous. This is the same kind of celebration.
The very last verse of Psalm 150 also uses this word. Some definitions of hallel even say “to act madly before the Lord”.
3. Tehilah - means hymn; song of praise; new song; spontaneous song. Tehilah is the word for Psalm in Hebrew. It’s singing your own song to God.
This word appears in Psalm 22:3 “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.”
Scripture says to sing a new song. We are each called to sing our own song to the Lord out of the overflow of what He’s done in our lives. The Lord dwells in the praises (tehilim) of His people. When we sing a new or spontaneous song out of the overflow of our life, the Lord comes and dwells in our praise.
4. Towdah - means an extension of the hand; thanksgiving; confession; a sacrifice of praise; thanksgiving for things not yet received. This word is seen in Psalm 56: 11 - 12 “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You,” When we Towdah, we lift our hands and voices, saying we trust God for what we have received, and trust and thank Him for what we have not yet received.
5. Zamah - means to make music; to celebrate in song and music; to touch the parts or strings of an instrument. There was a time in the ancient world when the holy scriptures weren’t read without being underscored by music. One of the reasons we sing worship songs is because music carries messages directly into our hearts, bypassing the head. In nature, there is a special kind of flower that only opens up when a specific bird chirps. Humans are the same way with music. Music is a tool from God. It has a greater effect on us than we fully understand and it is a powerful way to get the truths of God into our hearts.
6. Barak - to kneel; to bless the Lord as an act of adoration; praise; salute, or thanks; getting on your knees. It’s a posture of humility and gratitude. When we barak, it is the culmination and totality of our gratitude to the Lord. We bow down before Him because of the weight of all that He is and all that He’s done.
7. Shabak - address in a loud tone; shout; command; glory; triumph.
This word is found in Psalm 117:1 “O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.” Shabak is the idea of a group of people coming together. It is the cumulative effect of multiple voices - all voices unite with the voice of one. Shabak is what we see in a football or baseball field when all the fans unite to cheer over a victory won. When we praise, or shabak, we are to come together and celebrate Jesus and His victory in the same way.
These are all ways the Lord has commanded us through scripture to worship Him. These are all responses we’ve been created to express. It’s part of our nature.
With this, I’m not suggesting you cause disorder in your worship and do something to bring attention to yourself (whether intentional or not) but I do want to encourage worship in the forms we were created to do it in and to do it in a way that honors the Lord.
I want to cause you to think about what worship is and consider that next time you see a worship leader or a “crazy” worshiper and you’re not accustomed to that kind of worship, know that it may be a genuine expression of their hearts and that they are stepping out to give the kind of sacrifice of praise that the Lord desires and created us to give.
-Amye Francis