The Purpose of Worship: To Know Him

In the previous article (“Worship: The Highest Calling”), we looked at the verse, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). We saw the importance of coming to the Lord in stillness and quiet, and simply being there before Him and loving Him. In this article, we will take a moment to go deeper into that verse and discover the ultimate goal of worship.

The verse says, “Be still and know that I am God.” The word know is the Hebrew word yada (pronounced ya-DAH). It means to know someone intimately, completely, and fully. Yada is the word used in Genesis 4:1, which says, “Adam knew his wife” (ESV).

“Be still and know that I am God.” Yada. It’s the same word.

This is why marriage is a picture of Christ and the church – because God invites us to know Him – not superficially, but deeply, intimately, and fully. That’s why Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God.”

And that’s why Paul said in Philippians 3:10 that he would give it all “that I may know Him” (ESV).

The meaning of life is to know Jesus. And that is why we worship – to see Him, and to know Him. We don’t worship for an encounter. We worship because He is the encounter. And knowing Him is the greatest privilege we will ever have.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.