Worship Bows Before It Understands

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (Genesis 22:5)

Genesis 22 is the first place where the word “worship” appears in the English Bible. Notice Abraham wasn’t walking to the front of a stage during a slow song. Worship does not initially appear in a context of singing or celebration but in a moment of complete surrender. Abraham wasn’t offering God a song; he was bringing his son, and he called this moment worship.This should change how we understand what worship really is. The Hebrew word used here is shachah, which means to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to kneel before, to reverence fully. 

Genuine worship begins when we yield our will to God’s will. When Abraham went to worship, he separated himself from those who could not or would not obey what was required. What did Abraham say as he left this moment of obedience? “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

True worship aligns the mouth with heaven’s promise, not our own earthly reasoning. Shachah worship is bowing to God before you fully understand. It involves trusting God even before the entire answer is clear. Many believers want worship to uplift them before it humbles them. They want the worship song to make them feel better before they submit to God in obedience. But authentic worship, biblical worship first lowers us, and then God lifts us up.

Practical Application

Live a life of worship by obeying God immediately, even before you fully understand how the answers will come. Be willing to follow Abraham’s example and leave behind voices of doubt and fear when you need to move forward in obedience.

Joshua 5:14; Exodus 34:8