Heart of Worship

Worship. Another controversial subject. It is often thought of as the music portion of a church service where we sing to God. Some may mumble quietly, not wanting to be heard; others may sing at the top of their lungs wanting everyone to hear how much they love God. Some raise their hands, some stand still while others dance around the room with or without banners and ribbons.

Music affects our emotions and the lyrics can swell our hearts, causing us to become lost in the experience. That's right - the experience. And so many times I hear, "I got so much out of that worship time" or thanking the worship leader for the amazing atmosphere created. And yes, that used to be me. I won't deny that I can still get a buzz out of worshipping with a huge number of believers and really enjoy myself however my focus has shifted. It's not an experience, it's not something designed to make us feel good. Worship is thanking God, being grateful for what He's done, praising Him, giving Him honour, marvelling at His greatness and His creation and glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ.

But doesn't that sound like something you want to do 24/7, not just for 30mins on Sunday? I know I do. Our thoughts, words and actions point to whom or what we worship. All of us worship something, whether intentionally or otherwise. Worship is an attitude of the heart. Worship is clearly of interest to God. He knows we have an inner need to worship, so He asks us to worship Him. He, being God, can handle the weight of being worshipped; humans cannot. People who are worshipped by others can often be influenced to think more highly of themselves than they ought. The Bible makes it plain that there is only one God worthy of our worship:

"Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the people around you for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:13-14.

Do I love God? Yes. Am I thankful for what He has done for me through His Son Jesus Christ? Yes. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness." Psalm 29:2. May the life I live be an act of worship to Him; every thought, word and action

Michael W. Smith's song perfectly encapsulates the essence of what's in my heart regarding worship:

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Like pretty much everything else in the world, we have made worship about us. Even though we claim to be worshipping God, it's still something we've made it into. Why don't we let God shape the worship He wants by letting Him shape our lives? Giving Him full reign of my life, every thought, action, word and decision is His - what an amazing song He can make with that!

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. It's all about You. Amen.