Vertical Habits

What are Vertical Habits?
Read more information about Vertical Habits from Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Praise: “I Love You”
  • Love is the foundation of any close relationship. Expressions of adoration or affection are the lifeblood of friendships, families, and our relationship with God. There’s a lot more to worship than praise, but praise is the basis for worship.
  • Psalms: 1, 3, 5, 8, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 42, 47, 48, 53, 57, 65, 66, 67, 72, 75, 84, 87, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 128, 132, 138, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
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Confession: “I’m Sorry”
  • Confession is about honesty, and honesty is essential to a relationship. Hiding things destroys trust; “coming clean” allows a relationship to flourish. This is why we confess our sin in worship.
  • Psalms: 25, 27, 32, 38, 42, 51, 66, 78, 79, 86, 90, 102, 104, 123, 130, 139, 143
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Lament: “Why?”
  • Lament is also a matter of honesty. The psalmists model for us unflinching expressions of sadness and anger toward God as part of a close relationship with God. It’s not disrespect; it’s a way of placing all our emotions and experiences before the one we want to hear them the most. Following this model, our worship, too, must give a biblical voice to the sadness and anger worshipers bring in their hearts to worship.
  • Psalms:
    • Community: 12, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89, 94, 126, 137
    • False Accusation: 7, 17, 109, 139
    • General: 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 17, 22, 26, 28, 31, 35, 39, 41, 44, 58, 59, 61, 69, 71, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 88, 94, 109, 123, 126, 137, 141
    • Illness: 6, 13, 31, 38, 39, 69, 88, 102
    • Individual: 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31, 35, 41, 42, 43, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 77, 86, 94, 102, 109, 139, 140, 142
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Illumination: “I’m Listening”
  • Without listening, there is no real dialogue. Listening opens the way for a relationship to happen. Before we go to God in worship, we say that we will listen to God’s words.
  • Psalms: 19, 25, 27, 36, 43, 85, 95, 119
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Petition: “Help”
  • When we’re in trouble, we turn first to the ones we trust the most for help. And so we ask God in worship to provide for our needs and deliver us from evil.
  • Psalms: 3, 9, 13, 14, 18, 22, 23, 27, 31, 39, 43, 51, 56, 61, 63, 70, 80, 91, 97, 102, 124, 125, 130, 136, 137, 142, 143, 146
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Thanksgiving: “Thank You”
  • “Thank you” is the counterpart of “Help!” The two stay in balance, placing our cries for help in the context of gratitude for help and goodness in the history of a relationship. In worship we offer our thanks to God for all God has done for us.
  • Psalms: 9, 18, 30, 34, 40, 65, 66, 67, 70, 75, 92, 97, 100, 107, 116, 122, 123, 124, 131, 136, 138, 144, 146

Service: “What Can I Do?”
  • If we take a relationship seriously, we want to turn our words into actions, to offer to do something in service. In worship, we go out with a commitment to serve in the kingdom of God.
  • Psalms
    • Commissioning: 37, 47
    • Dedication to Discipleship: 26, 40, 101, 116
    • General: 22, 46, 47, 48, 67, 68, 72, 86, 87, 96, 97, 98, 100, 117, 138
    • Offering: 40, 50, 51, 54, 66, 112
    • Ordination and/or Installation: 20, 25, 27, 40, 84, 86, 90, 111, 115, 119, 122, 132, 133, 134, 138, 139
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Blessing:
  • When we part ways with someone, we wish them health and peace until we reunite. In worship, we leave by blessing God’s name and hearing God’s blessing for us.
  • Psalms: 1, 3, 14, 20, 23, 24, 32, 33, 37, 39, 52, 67, 69, 72, 84, 103, 106, 107, 112, 115, 121, 123, 125, 128, 133, 134