My Worship Rollercoaster

Is There a “Right Way” to Worship? Buckle up, this is going to be a bumpy ride . . .

These are my thoughts, questions, and the search for what God really wants**

Is there a right way to worship?

What does the Bible say?

What is worship, biblically speaking?

How did they worship in the Bible?

How do God and Jesus say we are to worship?

Did Jesus worship?

And then the whole thing with David dancing—was that worship? What was going on there? I know he’s known for dancing before the Lord, but I’ve never actually sat down and studied the context.

Maybe the big question underneath all of this is… Have we reduced worship to “songs”?

Because that’s definitely what it feels like sometimes.

I grew up Catholic and what I remember most about worship at a Catholic Church, was how serious and solemn it felt. There was this heaviness, this reverence, this “we’re on holy ground” atmosphere. As a teenager, I discovered Protestantism, got baptized again, and stepped into a completely different world of worship; joyful, loud, alive, hands raised, hearts open. It genuinely felt like God was right there in the room, like the Spirit was moving, and I loved that.

But as I got older, something shifted. I started noticing that many Protestant worship services felt… “produced”, rehearsed, controlled. Like everything was planned down to the minute. The lights, the transitions, the emotional swells. And suddenly what used to feel spontaneous, stopped feeling like the Spirit at all. I didn’t feel God there as often, or maybe I just felt the “performance” more than His presence.

And at the same time, I found myself craving the reverence I used to feel in the Catholic Church. The stillness, the holiness, that grounded sense of “this is sacred.”

So, I started attending Mass again about 4 months ago. And I’ll be honest, I’m still navigating how I feel about the worship (music in this context) portion. It does feel reverent. It feels like home in a strange way. BUT there are moments when something inside me still wants to lift my hands, sing my heart out, cry, kneel, move, whatever my spirit feels in the moment… and I’m like, “Am I allowed to do that here?”

Maybe yes. Maybe no. Like I said, I’m only about four months in, so I’m still learning.

Part of me wonders if maybe the solution is both/and? Mass for the reverence, worship nights at a Protestant church or private worship at home for the expressive side. Then I read somewhere that Catholics aren’t “allowed” to attend other church services because it’s supposedly sinful, and that honestly turned me off so fast. Catholicism has so many rules, and some really do feel man-made. I just want to love God, follow Jesus, read my Bible, grow, obey the Lord, bless people, live a holy life, and not be terrified that some Vatican-made rule is going to separate me from God’s love or grace.

As I’ve been attending Mass and genuinely trying to learn more about Catholicism, I’ve come across some teachings and conversations that honestly made me pause. I joined a Catholic forum to understand things better, and I keep seeing people say things like:

“Catholics can’t go to Protestant services.” “It’s a mortal sin.” “You’re separating yourself from God’s grace by worshiping elsewhere.”

And I had this moment of… wait—what?

So I dug deeper, because I didn’t want to assume or react emotionally. And here’s what I’ve learned…

What Catholics actually believe:

The Catholic Church does not teach that attending a Protestant worship service is a mortal sin. You can attend weddings, funerals, prayer nights, Bible studies, even regular services; without it being spiritually dangerous or forbidden.

But here’s the nuance:

Intentionally skipping Mass is considered “grave matter.” Or even replacing it with a Protestant service.

That’s where the term “mortal sin” comes in.

Not the Protestant service…but the choice to miss Mass on purpose.

And in Catholic theology, for something to be a “mortal sin,” three things must be true:

1. It must be serious (grave matter),

2. You must fully understand it’s serious, and

3. You must freely choose it anyway.

It’s not automatic. It’s not “one strike and God hates you.” Even the Catechism says mortal sin is a choice we make to turn away, NOT something that makes God abandon us.

Still… I’m just being honest… Something about this teaching doesn’t sit right in my soul. It feels SO heavy. It feels… not scriptural?

The idea that attending another Christian church, where Jesus is worshiped, Scripture is preached, and hearts are sincere, could somehow risk my soul because I didn’t sit in a specific building at a specific time… it makes me uneasy . . . Really uneasy.

I’m not saying Catholics are wrong; I’m saying I don’t fully understand it, and I don’t want to pretend like I do. Maybe I need to sit with it more. Maybe I need to pray more, read more, ask more. Maybe God will give me clarity in His timing. Or maybe it really doesn’t make scriptural sense???

What I know for sure is this:

The grace of God is not fragile and Jesus is not waiting to abandon us for worshiping Him in the wrong building.

So that’s where I am in regards to that. Somewhere in between admiration and confusion, trying to honor God with my whole heart while also being honest about the things that trouble me.

Maybe that’s part of worship too? Bringing my questions, my tension, my honest heart before Him.

Anyway… clearly I’ve gone down a rabbit hole. Your girl has been in her feels about worship!

So here I am, talking it out, thinking out loud, searching for truth with an open Bible.

And since I’m already in it… why not answer my own questions?

Having read through the entire Bible before, I know I’ve seen these things. I’ve read about worship, obedience, sacrifice, singing, bowing, dancing, reverence… all of it. But as the Word itself says, it’s living and active.

“For the word of God is living and active…” — Hebrews 4:12

That means we can read the same verses over and over again, year after year, and then suddenly, one random day, it’s like a light switches on and you finally get it! Something inside you wakes up. Something clicks that never clicked before.

Even Jesus talked about this. When His disciples asked why He spoke in parables, He said:

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God…” — Luke 8:9–10

Meaning: understanding doesn’t always come instantly. Some things in Scripture aren’t revealed until our hearts are ready to receive them.

Honestly, that’s exactly how this worship question feels for me. Like God is slowly peeling back layers, revealing things in His timing, not mine.

So, What Is Worship According to the Bible?

When you look at Scripture (the whole thing) worship is SO much bigger than singing!

1) Worship is a posture of the heart.

Jesus Himself said:

“True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23–24)

Spirit = sincerity, authenticity, the inner life.

Truth = aligned with Scripture, not emotion alone.

2) Worship is offering your whole life to God.

Paul says:

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice… this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Meaning your obedience, your choices, your work, your rest, your integrity—all of it worships God.

3) Worship is reverence and awe.

“…let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” - Hebrews 12:28

4) Worship is praise (yes, including music) but never only music.

The Psalms show worship as singing, crying, dancing, shouting, silence, repentance, celebration. It’s emotional and deeply spiritual and sometimes messy.

Biblically, worship is a whole-life response to who God is.

So How Did They Worship in the Bible? Honestly… in every way you can imagine!

They sang.

They bowed.

They lifted hands.

They danced.

They played instruments—loud ones.

They wept.

They stood silent.

They offered sacrifices.

They celebrated feasts.

They fasted.

They obeyed.

It wasn’t one style, one tradition, or one kind of atmosphere. It was life itself!!!

Did Jesus Worship?

Yes, absolutely! Jesus worshiped through prayer. Constantly.

Jesus worshiped through obedience.

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.”

Jesus worshiped through Scripture.

He quoted it, taught it & lived it.

Jesus worshiped in the synagogue.

Weekly worship was His rhythm (Luke 4:16).

Jesus even sang hymns.

Mark 14:26 — right after the Last Supper.

So yes, Jesus worshiped. He worshipped deeply, consistently and fully.

Now about David’s Dancing…

This wasn’t some “hype moment”, this wasn’t a performance.

The Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s presence) was returning to Jerusalem. It was huge, it was emotional and it was sacred. And David, overwhelmed by joy, worshiped by dancing “with all his might before the Lord” (2 Samuel 6:14). It was wholehearted, unrestrained worship. Imagining this literally brings me to tears. Oh how he must’ve felt, WOW! I’ve been there, it’s indescribable.

His own wife criticized him, and David basically answered: “I was dancing before the Lord… and I will celebrate even more.”

God received it, it was worship.

So is there a “right” way to worship?

This is what I’m discovering:

The “right” way to worship is with a surrendered heart. In spirit, in truth, in reverence, in sincerity & in obedience.

Worship can be expressive or quiet, loud or still, traditional or spontaneous. The Bible gives room for all of it. God wants the heart, not the performance.

As for me… I’m Honestly still right in the middle of trying to figure it all out.

I’m still learning what reverent worship looks like for me, today. I’m still figuring out how to balance the beauty of Mass with the desire to lift my hands. I’m still wanting to follow Scripture more than man-made rules and I’m still longing to love God with everything that I am.

Maybe worship isn’t something I have to force into a mold. I know God can meet me in reverence AND in joyful expression. Maybe He meets us in our cars, our churches, our kitchens, our fields, our tears, our songs, our silence, our obedience. In ALL of it. Maybe, worship is my whole life turning toward Him.

If you’ve ever felt this same tension, or if you’ve wrestled with the form of worship versus the heart of worship… same. Truly. You are not alone. And if you’ve learned anything in your journey, I’d love to hear it. I’m still searching, still reading, still learning & still listening.

Thanks for sitting in this with me, I appreciate you.