Difference Between Praise and Worship.

Feb 125 min read

Updated: Feb 15

I give You thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praise; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for your steadfast love and Your faithfulness, Psalm 138:1-2

Difference Between Praise and Worship

Psalm 138 is a psalm written by David that’s full of praise and worship. All the psalms are filled with praise and worship.

So what's the difference between the two? This is what I learned and like to share with you...

Praise Holds Hands with Thankfulness

Praise is when we joyfully recount all the wonderful works of God. Praise holds hands with thankfulness. We naturally praise God when our hearts are full of thankfulness toward Him for who He is and what He's done for us. We know that God is love and that He loved the world so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. In three days He rose again from the grave, ultimately triumphing over sin, Satan, and death. Jesus paid our debt in full on the cross, cancelling the record of charges that were against us (Col 2:14). That's why right before Jesus died, He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

Praise Jesus!

Christ alone accomplished salvation for us through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. Eternal life is a free gift. Even repentance and faith don't originate within ourselves. They too are gifts, by God's grace and choosing. We do nothing to earn Heaven. It's by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone that we may have eternal life and joy in Him! Now that is something to be thankful for and praise God for! What a gift it is that you and I believe in Jesus.

Praise does not ask anything from us. Praise is the simple joyful speaking of God's goodness and lovingkindness from a heart of thanksgiving. Since the Lord has performed endless wonderful works, He is deserving of endless praise. Since the eternal God gave Himself for us, to save us from eternal destruction and grant us eternal life instead, He is deserving of eternal praise. May praise be on our lips for Jesus every day, to the day of eternity.

Worship

While praise can be an element of worship, worship goes well beyond praise. Praise comes from our hearts and is expressed in our words. Worship comes from a deeper place in our hearts. What or who we worship is expressed in our attitude, behavior, actions, how we treat others, how we spend our time, what we study, watch, and listen to, what fills our minds and conversations; simply how we live our daily lives.

While praise can be given both to the Lord and to other people, worship is meant for God alone and no one else (Luke 4:8). Worship is when we forget about self and immerse ourselves in the adoration and glory of another. For the Christian, it's being immersed in Jesus. Worship is about denying self and following Jesus, being His humble servant and giving Him glory.

Worship the One True God

Praise is simple and easy to give; worship does not always come easy. Praise is on our lips. Worship delves into our inner being. To genuinely worship the One True God, we must first be saved by grace through faith in Jesus. We must fully surrender our lives to Him through faith and repent of worshipping any imaginary god/jesus, self, or idols; things that can so easily take root in our hearts and rule over us. To truly worship the God of Scripture, we must humble ourselves before Him, surrender every aspect of our lives to His loving Lordship, and adore Him for who He is and what He's done for us in Christ Jesus. Jesus said that the Father seeks those who will worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:25), meaning with our whole hearts and according to sound biblical doctrine.

Worship is a way of life. It’s not just a random act every now and then. It's not just emotional sentiments and fuzzy feelings toward God. It's not just when we read our daily devotionals. Worshipping Jesus and giving glory to God should be in everything we do (1 Cor 10:31), from washing that bowl in the sink to sharing the Gospel with a friend. We ought to do everything to the glory of God. After all, that is the main purpose for our entire existence according to Scripture; we are to fear the Lord and obey His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Worship Holds Hands with Submission

The Bible often depicts praise as being lively, joyful, and free-spirited, and God welcomes all kinds of praise from His creation. Jesus said that when people don’t praise God, even the "stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). However, when Scripture talks about worshipping the Lord, it's a different mood than praise. We find verses like, "worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness" (Psalm 29:2), and "Come let us worship and bow down" (Psalm 95:6). Worship is often associated with acts of bowing, kneeling, and holding up our hands to Him. These outward acts (only from a heart of true faith) express our inward humility, contrition, and repentance (2 Chr 29:28; Heb 11:21; Rev 19:10). Through true worship, the Holy Spirit speaks to us, gently convicts us of our sins, and encourages us in our walk with Jesus. We grow spiritually when we worship Him. Worship helps us keep our priorities in line with Jesus’ and fix our eyes on Him as the Savior of our soul and the Lord of our life.

As praise holds hands with thankfulness, worship holds hands with submission. It's impossible to worship both God and something else (Luke 4:8), both God and money (Mat 6:24), or both God and self. We can only fully worship Jesus when we have fully surrendered our lives to Him through faith; when we worship Him in spirit and in truth. True worship comes from the heart, and the Lord knows your heart. He knows who is really worshipping Him. He knows who His children are. And as His children, we know who our Father is and what He requires of us: a life fully surrendered to Him in true worship, all by His grace. May we give the Lord endless praise!

All glory belongs to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

He said to them, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. Mark 8:34-35

Jesus answered, “It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Luke 4:8

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear

And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13