Man is essentially a worshipping creature. It is part of his nature. His choice is not whether he will worship, but only whom he will worship. In the Scriptures, God demands his worship. He will not share our worship with anyone or anything else.
Thanksgiving, praise, and worship are three distinct but related expressions of our devotion to God. Thanksgiving focuses on what God has done for us. Praise focuses on who God is. Worship goes deeper still — it is the response of the whole person to the presence and glory of God.
Psalm 100 captures all three: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” There is a progression here — from thanksgiving at the gates, to praise in the courts, to worship in the inner sanctuary. Each level requires a deeper surrender of self.
Many believers never move beyond thanksgiving. They are grateful for what God has done, but they have not yet learned to praise Him for who He is, regardless of circumstances. And fewer still have entered into true worship — that place of complete abandonment to God where self disappears and only He remains.
This is the journey God invites us on. And it begins with a simple, sincere “Thank you, Lord.”
— Terry Law, “The Power of Praise and Worship”