Words for Worship: 7 Days to Bringing God Your Best PraiseSýnishorn

BARAK

In the Bible, seven Hebrew words translate as 'worship' in English. Today, we're examining the word BARAK.

BARAK means 'to kneel or to bless.’

BARAK is used 331x in Scripture and describes a time of surrender and submission to God through the act of kneeling.

Picture yourself climbing a mountain, and the summit is within reach. As you look up the vertical trail, your eyes long for the view, but your legs ache with each step. Your lungs expand to their fullest potential, and with one foot in front of the other, determination sets in. Once you crest the ascent onto level ground, you collapse on your knees out of a need for rest and air. It's greatly humbling. This same sense of desperate surrender causes us to fall on our knees before God.

The posture of one’s heart toward the Lord can be reflected in the way one approaches the throne room. In Scripture, King David continually encouraged the assembly to bless the Lord, bow down before Him, and pay homage to Him, the true king.

BARAK: A praise so intimate we have no choice but to kneel before the Lord in humble submission.