A Heart of Worship
November 9
These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Isaiah 29:13
Daniel paused while leading worship, “I grew up in the church. I had given my life to Jesus, and was active in youth group. I sang in the junior choir and attended church faithfully …” he paused. “But as far as worshiping the Lord went, I was only going through the motions. I worshiped God merely because I felt like it was my duty; like a slave obligated to his master.”
Daniel’s countenance changed as he continued, “But we were made for worship! And as scripture says, God inhabits the praises of His people. When that happens, Heaven invades Earth! God comes to us!”
“But as I said before, I’d invested nothing of myself … I was going through the motions out of a sense of responsibility.”
Daniel smiled, “But there came a moment, a moment when I finally understood this simple truth: God wants us to be in relationship with Him so we can discover how deep, how wide, and how far His love extends! I finally understood!”
He laughed, “Now I worship Him because I want to, because I love Him and I just can’t tell Him enough how much I appreciate Who He is and what He’s done for me!”
“So tonight, let go of your inhibitions, misconceptions, and fears, and worship God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!”
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True worship is born out of knowing we have been given mercy instead of spiritual death, grace instead of God’s wrath. Worship begins in each heart, birthed after this revelation, and then pours forth from a willing heart, a hungry heart, a heart of gratitude and understanding.
Today’s text reveals that many before us have held God at arm’s length, ignorant of the immensity of the sacrifice made to secure our redemption. Sadly, many never come to that understanding. You know when you witness it, because once the revelation hits you that God sacrificed His own Son on your behalf, it is impossible to merely offer Him lip service.
Prayer
“Father of redemption, I want to bring You the praise of my heart! Fill me with the song You gave me at my birth so I can sing it to You! In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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