Silent Truths

Reserved in Worship?

I’ve been thinking a lot about worship lately—not just the songs or the structure of a church service, but the way worship is physically expressed. When I read the Bible, I see people shouting, lifting hands, clapping, kneeling, bowing, even dancing in praise to God. But in many churches today—including the ones I’ve attended—worship feels quiet, reserved, even restrained.

I started wondering: Is that how it’s supposed to be?
Am I holding back because I’m afraid of what others think?
Or worse—am I ashamed?

What Does the Bible Say?

Worship That Moves the Body

Every time I read Psalms, I feel like I’m missing something. The writers seem so alive in their worship—completely unafraid to express their joy and reverence for God.

Scriptures That Stood Out to Me

• Singing – Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! (Psalm 47:6)
• Shouting – Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name! (Psalm 66:1-2)
• Lifting Hands – Lift up your hands in holiness, and bless Yahweh. (Psalm 134:2)
• Dancing – Let them praise His name with dancing! (Psalm 149:3)
• Clapping – Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy! (Psalm 47:1)
• Bowing/Kneeling – Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. (Psalm 95:6)

After reading these, I had to ask myself: Why am I so still?

Why do I hesitate to raise my hands or shout when scripture literally commands it?
Why do I feel like I’d be “too much” if I clapped or even moved with the music?

I realized that maybe it’s not just fear or embarrassment—maybe I’ve never actually been taught why we worship this way.

What’s the Big Deal?

Maybe one reason people (including me) don’t fully engage in worship is that we don’t always understand why we are praising.

Psalms gives clear reasons:

1. Because God is Great

• Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! (Psalm 150:2)
• For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalm 95:3)

2. Because He Has Saved Us

• Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. (Psalm 98:1)
• My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; my soul also, which You have redeemed. (Psalm 71:23)

3. Because He Helps and Protects Us

• The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. (Psalm 28:7)

4. Because He Commands It

• Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy! (Psalm 47:1)
• Lift up your hands in holiness, and bless Yahweh. (Psalm 134:2)

If worship is about responding to God’s greatness, His salvation, His protection, and His commands, then why would I be silent? Why would I let fear of looking “weird” stop me from giving God the praise He deserves?

Just an “Old Testament Thing”?

As I dug deeper, I found that physical expressions of worship continue in the New Testament, especially in moments of prayer, surrender, and awe.

Scriptures That Stood Out to Me

• Lifting Hands – I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing. (1 Timothy 2:8)
• Kneeling – At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. (Philippians 2:10)
• Falling Prostrate – When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. (Revelation 1:17)
• Shouting – The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices… “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:37-40)

Even in heaven, worship is loud, physical, and full of movement (Revelation 5:12, 19:1).

So why do many church traditions lean toward silence and stillness?

We Made Worship So Quiet?

I started researching why many churches today have removed physical expressions from worship. What I found surprised me.

Culture, Not the Bible

1. Greek Philosophy’s Influence – The early church absorbed ideas from Stoicism and Neoplatonism, which valued intellectual over emotional worship.
2. Medieval Church Formality – As Christianity became institutionalized, worship started resembling royal court ceremonies—structured, solemn, and quiet.
3. The Protestant Reformation – Reformers, wanting to correct Catholic excesses, removed many outward expressions of worship, leading to more reserved styles.
4. Western Cultural Norms – In many societies, quietness is associated with reverence, and emotional worship is sometimes seen as undignified.

But the Bible never said worship should be silent or still—it commanded the opposite.

Am I Ashamed?

This was the hardest question I had to ask myself.

Jesus said:
“Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

Ouch.

Had I been ashamed of worshiping God boldly?

I thought of David, who danced before the Lord when the Ark was returned to Israel. His wife, Michal, was embarrassed by his undignified display. But David said:

“I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

David understood something I was just now realizing:
Worship is not for people. It is for God.

I had been worried about what others thought when I should have been thinking about what God commands.

Biblical Worship

So what do I do with all of this? How do I stop holding back and worship freely?

Steps

1. I’m giving myself permission to worship expressively.
   • Lifting my hands in praise.
   • Kneeling in prayer.
   • Clapping or shouting when I feel led.
2. I’m focusing on God, not people.
   • Worship isn’t about my comfort—it’s about God’s worthiness.
3. I’m studying what the Bible says and obeying it.
   • Scripture clearly supports expressive, emotional worship.
4. I’m encouraging others to worship freely.
   • Worship should be bold, joyful, and scriptural—not limited by fear.

Without Fear, Without Shame

If heaven is filled with loud worship, why should I be quiet?

This Sunday, I’m challenging myself to:
✅ Lift my hands
✅ Clap joyfully
✅ Sing loudly
✅ Bow in reverence
✅ Rejoice without shame

Will you join me?

Let’s worship as scripture commands—fully engaged, fully alive, fully free.

God is worthy. Heaven is watching. Let’s worship without fear.

Source Appendix

Scriptural References

Psalm 47:6
“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!”

Psalm 66:1-2
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name!”

Psalm 134:2
“Lift up your hands in holiness, and bless Yahweh.”

Psalm 149:3
“Let them praise His name with dancing!”

Psalm 47:1
“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy!”

Psalm 95:6
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

Psalm 150:2
“Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”

Psalm 95:3
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

Psalm 98:1
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.”

Psalm 71:23
“My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; my soul also, which You have redeemed.”

Psalm 28:7
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.”

1 Timothy 2:8
“I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing.”

Philippians 2:10
“At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

Revelation 1:17
“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.”

Luke 19:37-40
“The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices… ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!’”

Revelation 5:12, 19:1
(Referenced for heaven’s loud and physical worship)

Luke 9:26
“Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

2 Samuel 6:21-22
“I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”