Worship

The Art of Worship

Worship is the art of expressing yourself to God. It’s a matter of the heart.

I believe worship must be learned. It’s not a talent we are born with, nor is it a special gifting for a select few. One line of the Westminster Catechism says, “The chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy Him forever.” We were all created to worship, and yet, our expressions of worship are unique. We have each been given an individual expression of worship that can only be discovered as we take the risk of opening up our hearts. As we open our hearts, we become channels of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit in us releases us and teaches us the art of expressing ourselves to God.

“Now wait just a minute. Doesn’t the Bible says, “The heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?”

Well, yes it does…that’s Jeremiah 17:9 (which I think is one of the most misquoted verses in all the Bible). Because in the very next verse, it says, “I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind to reward a man according to what his deeds deserve.” Seven chapters later, Jeremiah quotes God saying, “I will give them a heart to know Me, that I Am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7) And it gets even better than that! Five chapters later, God says, “I know the plans I have for You…you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all Your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Flashing forward into the New Testament, we find Jesus, in Mark 7:6-7, addressing the Pharisees and teachers of the Law one day. “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain…”

Ouch! Do you see where Jesus’ focus was that day? He was looking at the position of their hearts for the Lord, and Jesus rebuked them because their hearts were “far from Him.” If the final truth of the matter is that the heart is desperately wicked, where else could their hearts have been?

From the Old Covenant right into the New Covenant, we are invited and encouraged to engage our heart in worship. The Lord Himself gives us a heart to know Him with the hope that we will choose to seek Him with all our hearts. So take the risk, open up your heart, and experience the transformation that comes into our lives every time we choose to worship.