The song “Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman began to run through my mind over and over this last week. As I thought about this song, I felt the Spirit asking me what worship meant to me. Is my heart centered on God as I worship?
I thought about what the term “worship” meant to me. As I thought about this, what came to mind is that I worship God when I am singing praise songs to Him either in the church service or in my own devotional time each day. To me, worship was synonymous with music.
So I decided to read about worship and what it is. Worship has been defined as acknowledging that God is the King in my life and all things. This results in me living my life in light of this truth. Worship also means paying homage to God and laying oneself before Him to express respect or make supplication to Him. I am ascribing worth to God in my life when I worship Him. I am acknowledging Him as Lord of my life.
I am reminded in Psalm 95:6 to come and worship God by kneeling before the Lord, my maker. I am reminded in John 4:24 that I worship in spirit and in truth because the Holy Spirit is in me. He leads and guides by worship in accordance with God’s truth.
I can only worship God through the Spirit because I have put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior. I have accepted His great sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, where He paid for my sins, and three days later He rose from the dead. He is my Lord and Savior. I received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when I did this.
As I pondered and thought about what worship means to me, I know that music plays a part in worship, but that there is also so much more to it. In Psalm 96:1, we are told to sing a new song to God. I have found that music is such a beautiful gift from God that it leads my heart to want to follow and obey Jesus in all things.
In Deuteronomy 6:4-5, we are reminded to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and might. So as I worship God, my heart must be focused on Him. My thoughts and actions must be in line with His will for my life, and I must obey His will for my life.
Everything I do in my life must honor Jesus, as 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds me. So for me to be able to worship God from my heart, my life must be transformed by the saving grace of Jesus that has been given to me. My actions and words must show others His great love. It is a wonderful act of worship to invite others to come to Jesus and be given life eternal through His dying and rising for all mankind. (Matthew 28:17-20)
My heart of worship involves every part of me and my life. I worship as I sing songs. I worship as I read my Bible, pray, and hear the Bible preached. Worship brings renewal and restoration from God. Romans 12:1-2 reminds me that every part of me must be submitted to God so that I can live my life to obey His will. This becomes my act of worship for my loving God.
My heart’s worship starts at the cross each day. There I am restored to my Savior by His continual fountain of blood flowing over and cleansing me. My worship continues as I walk in the truth the Spirit teaches me. He leads and guides me in the paths of righteousness given to me by Jesus. My life shows my worship as I fight sin in my life. Obedience to my Savior is my thankful response to His great love for me.
Consider what worship means to you. Is the worship of God the center of all that you are?