Worship is a Negative Thing
Did you know worship is one of the most negative things you do? A lot of people think of worship as a very positive experience as they tell God how good He is. However, scripture tells us that even at our best we are like stinking-rotten rags (Isaiah 64:6). Worship helps us approach God’s positive nature as we unload our negativity. Let me explain:
People build up negative charges
When cold-air fronts and warm-air fronts collide, friction builds up. The ground develops a negative charge as electrons get left behind. The wind swirls water particles in the air until they form clouds with positively charged underbellies. As those clouds sweep over land, the trees and buildings release their pent up charges with huge lighting bolts releasing millions of volts of negativity.
When people rub you the wrong way, you build up a negative charge. A sore back, rush hour traffic, and demanding customers combine to give you enough friction to make your hair stand on end. Then you come home and discharge all your negativity on the first person you see.
Humans release negativity on others
In the natural realm, negative charges build up on certain objects more than on others. Cotton, wool, and rubber build up a large charge only to release it all at once. Metals, however, pass the charge along quickly. That is why big barns with wood shingles used to have lightning rods installed. These rods were not to attract lightning, but to help prevent it. If lightning did strike, it would flow straight to the ground and not blow up the building.
The lightning rod, over the long-term, however, continually discharged excess electrons (negative energy) into the air. Since the building never built up a huge charge, it was less likely to send a million-volt spark across the sky.
Worship charges you positively
Worshipers do not build up a negative charge. They have learned the secret to releasing their negativity. Some people do not understand the secret of worship. They think they need to bring all their negatives to prayer. Negative prayer will only rub you the wrong way. You will leave more discouraged, more frustrated—even angry—about your situation. I have gotten mad at God before and afterward was only bristling with more negativism.
Then I learned the power of worship. Jesus said to begin prayer by talking about God’s goodness (Matthew 6:9). Last week I faced an issue that really got me down. I was so worried that my worry gave way to fear. My fear paralyzed me and I could not think or even sleep. I forced myself to relax and go to bed, but woke up an hour later almost scared because I was so fearful about this issue. I tried talking to the fear. I asked God to take it away, but nothing would stop my mind from continually playing out the worst-case scenario.
Then, I decided to ignore the negatives and just focus on what I knew was good and true: Jesus Christ. I bowed down and started praising Him for how faithful He is. I told Him I would love Him no matter what happened in the situation I was facing. As I worshiped the Lord with tears in my eyes and love in my heart, suddenly the fear disappeared. I jumped up, shocked. I thought I was imagining things. I thought over the situation and knew that nothing had changed. But it did not bother me any longer.
Now, I was sure God had given me peace. All I could do was continue to worship Him and rejoice in spite of what seemed inevitable. The knots in my stomach were gone. I fell asleep easily and woke up early in the morning full of joy and worship again.
Joyful people release negatives quickly
Like a lightning rod, I must let my negatives leak upward every morning in prayer and worship. This is why worship is one of the most negative things you will do—you release negativity by focusing on God’s positive qualities. All day, I talk to the Lord of His goodness and so prevent myself from building up a bad charge when dealing with normal friction. Job is an example of both the good and bad sides of this secret.
Job was a believer who worshiped God everyday, letting his negatives discharge naturally into the positive atmosphere above. When hit with the high-voltage shock of losing all his wealth and his children, He quickly released this downward energy by saying, “Blessed be the Name of the Lord!” His wife, however, had not learned the secret of worship. She told him to curse God and die.
Although Job started well, with time he began to let his friends and his own poor health rub him the wrong way. Soon, sparks were flying between himself and people he once loved. In the Book of Job, we do not read about him continuing to begin each day with worship. The negatives zapped him of the desire to live. It is no surprise that God showed up in a storm (lots of friction) and jolted Job into reality.
If I ever go through a Job-like trial, I pray I will have the sense to climb off my pile of ashes everyday and worship the Lord with all my heart. Things straightened out quickly when Job let go of the negatives and his sin of unloading on God. When he worshiped once more, his life turned back toward the positive again. Job’s not alone. Every man should lift up holy hands in worship, letting go of negative energy (I Timothy 2:5).
While being a worshiper will not make everything perfect in life, it will keep your attitude perfect through the trials you have to face. This is not about positive thinking or always figuring out perfect solutions to life’s complexities. It is about releasing your minuses as you worship God for His pluses. He will recharge you. About that, I am positive.