What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of worshipping God? I bet many would imagine lifted hands, loud voices, and booming music. I love worshipping God this way and look forward to it every weekend. However, if you are anything like me, worship sometimes becomes about chasing an experience. During worship, I yearn for an encounter with God. I crave the chills, electricity, strong emotions, and an indicator of the manifest (physical) presence of God. I often feel discouraged if I don’t experience the Lord’s presence physically or emotionally. Recently, God revealed to me how man-centered this approach is.
So, What is Worship?
Music is a gift from God and glorifies Him, but worship is far deeper and greater than singing songs. When we enter worship seeking a touch from God, we make worship about ourselves. Worship must be about the Father. I love Matt Redman’s song “The Heart of Worship” because it beautifully encapsulates the goal of true, god-honoring worship. Here are a few of my favorite lyrics from his song.
When the music fades, All is stripped away, And I simply come. Longin' just to bring Something thats of worth That will bless your heart I'm coming back to the heart of worship And it's all about you It's all about you Jesus. Matt Redman
The heart of worship is to bless God; I love how Matt phrased it. So, be wary of making worship a self-gratifying experience. Instead, understand worship is an act of adoration towards our heavenly Father, which comes from a heart that wants to please Him.
Do Not Worship God in Vain
There is nothing we can give to God that doesn’t already belong to Him. Singing worship songs, attending bible study, volunteering for a charity, or any other of our good deeds are not the “key” to pleasing God (Isaiah 64:6). It is possible to do the Lord’s work with a devilish heart (impure motives). We worship the Lord in vain when we say or do things to appear righteous before people.
This isn’t anything new; the Israelites fell into the same trap. God was often displeased with their sacrifices. But the Israelites, like us, didn’t always make the connection that God wasn’t interested in what they could bring.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrificies? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats”.
Isaiah 1:11
He wasn’t interested in their sacrifices; God wanted His people. He was interested in the deepest part of them-their hearts. The same is true today. God is interested in you! The greatest gift that you can bring to your Father is to give Him yourself; give Him your heart. This is the truest form of worship.
How can we worship our heavenly Father?
Worship Is About Giving Up Control
One of the most dangerous sins is idolatry- worshipping anything other than God. Many of us enjoy being our own gods by doing things our way. The best way to show the Lord your adoration is by presenting yourself as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and doing things His way. This means you live your life for His glory and not your own. True surrender requires that you empty yourself. This begs the question, what does it mean to empty yourself?
When you empty yourself, you purge yourself of the lusts of the flesh- idolatry, jealousy, anger, drunkness, sexual immorality, etc. (Galatians 5:19-20). Then you begin to feed your spirit, by spending time reading scripture and in prayer. As you starve your flesh, and feed your spirit naturally you will hunger more and more for the things of God.
Finally, as you deepen your relationship with the Lord you will discover a willingness to give Him control of your choices, relationships, and money. The Holy Spirit will guide you to live where you are no longer the boss. When you give the Lord control of your life you express total adoration of His majesty and trust in His power to sustain and lead you. I imagine this heart posture is a beautiful and pleasing aroma to the Lord more than anything you could tangibly bring Him.
Worship is About Obedience
Part of giving the Lord control is obeying His voice. When God asks you to do something you do it. The Lord has been convicting me lately that delayed obedience is disobedience. My actions must match if I claim to love and worship the Lord. Jesus says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10). It is simple. When you truly love God and genuinely worship Him, you will obey.
Obedience isn’t about a list of dos and don’ts. That is religion. I believe you can’t obey the Lord from the right heart until you experience a revelation of His love for you. Once you know in your heart that God loves you, you’ll be moved to please Him. The Bible stating God’s love for you or other people telling you is insufficient; you’ve got to experience it. The Bible says, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). So, that brings me to my next point. How can you begin to experience the love of God? By spending time with Him!
Worship Requires Devotion
The Bible is clear where your treasure is your heart is (Matthew 6:21). Worshipping God in the purest sense will require you to meet with Him daily. I encourage you to go to your secret place and give God your full attention. While corporate (public) worship pleases God, meeting with the Lord and worshipping Him privately introduces a deeper level of intimacy. It’s easy to praise God and feed off of other people’s “energy”. It is different when you remove all distractions and approach Him alone. It expresses authentic devotion.
According to Merriam-Webster, to devote means to give yourself over to someone or something solemnly. I understand devotion as commitment. This means you don’t find time to squeeze Jesus in, but the opposite. It means you prioritize God and find time to squeeze other things in. If you want to worship the Lord, you will give Him more than 5 minutes in prayer and 10 minutes of devotional time. You will give Him everything. I am not suggesting you neglect your responsibilities, but I encourage you to dive in headlong. What would it look like to be all in? Sold out?
Have you ever seen Christians who seem to be operating in more of God’s grace? They’re not God’s special children; they give more of themselves to the Holy Spirit. This power is available to ALL Christians. The more you give the Lord, the more He will give you. As you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you (James 4:8). So present yourself to the Lord as a living sacrifice and be prepared for a powerful move of His Spirit! The Lord will honor your worship and devotion to Him (Hebrews 11:6).
God is waiting for you and me with open arms. Let’s bring ourselves as the offering and seek to bless His heart.