Worship Born From Experience
By Owen Hurter
Experience is one of the most crucial components from which sincere and heartfelt worship flows. Once you
experience Jesus and all He has for you, you’ll have all the reasons in the world to want to worship Him.
I believe that for too long we’ve had it the wrong way around. We expect people to worship what they do not
know. Time and time again, I’ve seen leaders demand their congregations to worship Jesus. Then, they get
frustrated when they don’t see the people demonstrate physically and staring at them blankly. Sometimes,
without knowing it, we expect people to worship Jesus based on our own experience. The Lord has told me that
one of my jobs as a worship leader and teacher is to nurture an atmosphere that allows people to experience
God for themselves and out of the experience, worship will explode.
Experience is really important in the daddy-child relationship. My children learn through experience with Tonya
and I. If Aden is hungry and I hand him food, he has learned I will meet his need. If he asks for food and I ignore
him, allow him to go hungry, he learns that I will not meet his need. In the same way we grow to know our
Heavenly Father through our experience with Him.
I love using the dinner party example: When I go to a dinner I was invited to and I knock on the door, I can’t start
praising the host for the amazing food once they open the door. Why? Because I haven’t tasted the food yet.
However, once I’ve tasted it for myself, I can sincerely praise the cook. In the same way – once someone comes
to Jesus, my job should be encouraging him/her to get to know Him through experience. That way they will
flourish in their relationship with Him.
King David said: Taste and see that the Lord is good…..Ps. 34:8 The Hebrew word that is translated taste is “ta’
am” which means to discern and evaluate for yourself; testing by means of taste. Going by someone’s word of
mouth is a good start, but it should never replace personal experience. Basing your decision whether to follow
God or not on someone else’s experience is nothing short of foolishness. In the same way, basing your
relationship with God on someone else’s experience is also foolish.
There are too many people filling church seats not knowing God for themselves, but riding on what they hear
from the front. That is NOT knowing God – it is knowing about God!
Matt 7
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do
the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in
your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I
never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
The word knew is translated:
To know experientially, to be conscious of, to be aware of, to feel.
God considers personal experience very important because personal experience develops relationship. God is
great and worthy to be praised – but won’t it be so much better if you could say I know that for a fact because of
what He has done for me! That’s what we want in our own lives and in the lives of the body of Christ.
The power of testimony is so very important, because it comes from a place of personal experience. Although
people may try to argue with you and tell you that you did not really experience that, you are the only one that
knows, because you have tasted and seen that God is good!
Experience is so important for us as human beings. We constantly recall past experiences, and for that reason
we return to certain experiences again and again. I have just completed a new song that we are starting to use in
worship. The first line reads: “I feel I am drugged and dazed. Captivated! Can’t help myself being drawn to you.”
That is how I feel with Him sometimes. That is what experience have taught me. That experience keeps me
returning to feel that again and again!
Here are some more examples:
When Peter said, “Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’
s kindness” 1 Pet. 2,3 He used the same word – Taste and Evaluate for yourself. The word kindness in this verse
means: Pleasant, good. comfortable, and suitable.
Once you have had a taste of the Lord’s goodness – cry out for more. Once you have tasted and seen that God
ways is more pleasant, comfortable, and suitable than the heavy unbearable burden the Religious rulers is
placing on you – Cry out for more!!!
I think this verse is a crucial verse to the body of Christ right now. People have had bad experience with the
religious system. Remember – Religion is based more on word of mouth than anything else. Unfortunately lots
of what is taught is not truth. The only way to tell the truth from a lie is through personal experience.
The bible says that in the last days many will be lead astray by false teachings. I believe the only way to avoid this
is by knowing Him experientially. If you know someone experientially you generally know them personally!
Even Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you…….for My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. (Matt 11:28-30) He seems pretty
convinced that once we taste, and experience Him we will be sold out to nothing but Him. Once someone has
tasted and seen they know!
God promises Israel that after they experience His deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh they will know.
Ex 6
6-8 "I am GOD. I will bring you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will
redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I'll take you as my own people and I'll be God to you. You'll
know that I am GOD……
After Naaman gets healed from leprosy this is his response:
2 Kings 5
15 He then went back to the Holy Man, he and his entourage, stood before him, and said, "I now know beyond a
shadow of a doubt that there is no God anywhere on earth other than the God of Israel…..17…..I'm never again
going to worship any god other than GOD……
Job 42:1-6
Job answered GOD: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything…..I admit I once lived by rumors of
you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
Once Job experiences Him firsthand he can truly worship Him saying “I’m convinced that You can do anything
and everything!”
When I lived in South Africa, I was a part of a band that was very successful. When I left the ministry, most looked
at me and didn’t understand. It wasn’t a “logical” decision financially but, God told me that He wanted to provide
for everything that concerns me. This statement from Him has become one of the foundation stones I live by. He
cares for everything that concerns me.
Because of the determination to take Him up on his word I have ended up with an incredible amount of stories
about His faithfulness. These experiences of His faithfulness help me lose myself so easily in worship. I have
truly tasted and seen that He is good, and every time I come to God in praise and worship I can recall all the
amazing things He has done for me.
Copywritten by Owen Hurter 2009. Use only with permission.
By Owen Hurter
Experience is one of the most crucial components from which sincere and heartfelt worship flows. Once you
experience Jesus and all He has for you, you’ll have all the reasons in the world to want to worship Him.
I believe that for too long we’ve had it the wrong way around. We expect people to worship what they do not
know. Time and time again, I’ve seen leaders demand their congregations to worship Jesus. Then, they get
frustrated when they don’t see the people demonstrate physically and staring at them blankly. Sometimes,
without knowing it, we expect people to worship Jesus based on our own experience. The Lord has told me that
one of my jobs as a worship leader and teacher is to nurture an atmosphere that allows people to experience
God for themselves and out of the experience, worship will explode.
Experience is really important in the daddy-child relationship. My children learn through experience with Tonya
and I. If Aden is hungry and I hand him food, he has learned I will meet his need. If he asks for food and I ignore
him, allow him to go hungry, he learns that I will not meet his need. In the same way we grow to know our
Heavenly Father through our experience with Him.
I love using the dinner party example: When I go to a dinner I was invited to and I knock on the door, I can’t start
praising the host for the amazing food once they open the door. Why? Because I haven’t tasted the food yet.
However, once I’ve tasted it for myself, I can sincerely praise the cook. In the same way – once someone comes
to Jesus, my job should be encouraging him/her to get to know Him through experience. That way they will
flourish in their relationship with Him.
King David said: Taste and see that the Lord is good…..Ps. 34:8 The Hebrew word that is translated taste is “ta’
am” which means to discern and evaluate for yourself; testing by means of taste. Going by someone’s word of
mouth is a good start, but it should never replace personal experience. Basing your decision whether to follow
God or not on someone else’s experience is nothing short of foolishness. In the same way, basing your
relationship with God on someone else’s experience is also foolish.
There are too many people filling church seats not knowing God for themselves, but riding on what they hear
from the front. That is NOT knowing God – it is knowing about God!
Matt 7
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do
the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in
your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I
never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
The word knew is translated:
To know experientially, to be conscious of, to be aware of, to feel.
God considers personal experience very important because personal experience develops relationship. God is
great and worthy to be praised – but won’t it be so much better if you could say I know that for a fact because of
what He has done for me! That’s what we want in our own lives and in the lives of the body of Christ.
The power of testimony is so very important, because it comes from a place of personal experience. Although
people may try to argue with you and tell you that you did not really experience that, you are the only one that
knows, because you have tasted and seen that God is good!
Experience is so important for us as human beings. We constantly recall past experiences, and for that reason
we return to certain experiences again and again. I have just completed a new song that we are starting to use in
worship. The first line reads: “I feel I am drugged and dazed. Captivated! Can’t help myself being drawn to you.”
That is how I feel with Him sometimes. That is what experience have taught me. That experience keeps me
returning to feel that again and again!
Here are some more examples:
When Peter said, “Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’
s kindness” 1 Pet. 2,3 He used the same word – Taste and Evaluate for yourself. The word kindness in this verse
means: Pleasant, good. comfortable, and suitable.
Once you have had a taste of the Lord’s goodness – cry out for more. Once you have tasted and seen that God
ways is more pleasant, comfortable, and suitable than the heavy unbearable burden the Religious rulers is
placing on you – Cry out for more!!!
I think this verse is a crucial verse to the body of Christ right now. People have had bad experience with the
religious system. Remember – Religion is based more on word of mouth than anything else. Unfortunately lots
of what is taught is not truth. The only way to tell the truth from a lie is through personal experience.
The bible says that in the last days many will be lead astray by false teachings. I believe the only way to avoid this
is by knowing Him experientially. If you know someone experientially you generally know them personally!
Even Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you…….for My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. (Matt 11:28-30) He seems pretty
convinced that once we taste, and experience Him we will be sold out to nothing but Him. Once someone has
tasted and seen they know!
God promises Israel that after they experience His deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh they will know.
Ex 6
6-8 "I am GOD. I will bring you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will
redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I'll take you as my own people and I'll be God to you. You'll
know that I am GOD……
After Naaman gets healed from leprosy this is his response:
2 Kings 5
15 He then went back to the Holy Man, he and his entourage, stood before him, and said, "I now know beyond a
shadow of a doubt that there is no God anywhere on earth other than the God of Israel…..17…..I'm never again
going to worship any god other than GOD……
Job 42:1-6
Job answered GOD: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything…..I admit I once lived by rumors of
you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
Once Job experiences Him firsthand he can truly worship Him saying “I’m convinced that You can do anything
and everything!”
When I lived in South Africa, I was a part of a band that was very successful. When I left the ministry, most looked
at me and didn’t understand. It wasn’t a “logical” decision financially but, God told me that He wanted to provide
for everything that concerns me. This statement from Him has become one of the foundation stones I live by. He
cares for everything that concerns me.
Because of the determination to take Him up on his word I have ended up with an incredible amount of stories
about His faithfulness. These experiences of His faithfulness help me lose myself so easily in worship. I have
truly tasted and seen that He is good, and every time I come to God in praise and worship I can recall all the
amazing things He has done for me.
Copywritten by Owen Hurter 2009. Use only with permission.
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