“The Heart of Worship” – by Brently Groshong
Our hearts desire, so we worship. We save, we collect, we conserve, we sacrifice just so that we can obtain what the heart desires. That’s worship.
But, wait. Most of us would say that we do okay at worshipping God, but is that what worship really is— sacrificing so that we can obtain what the heart desires? The dictionary defines worship a little differently.
Worship
Noun – Reverent, honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
Verb (used with object) – to render religious reverence and homage to (any person or thing).
verb (used without object) – to attend services of divine worship. to feel an adoring reverence or regard.
We like to think that we only worship God, but the truth is we can worship anything, cars, trucks, homes, clothes, jewels, power, control, status, and even people, just to name a few. We have heard the stories of people so captivated by something that they forsake all else just to gain that one thing.
The late Rev. Billy Graham once said, “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.” It is equally true when it comes to our time and talent. At its root, we need to ask, what do we worship.
As humans, it would appear that we have done well at worshiping. Even Jesus spoke to the heart of this when he said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).
Sure, that’s a parable with a much deeper meaning, but we also know Jesus used common language and common stories when He spoke to the people of his time. But He didn’t just to speak to them, He was speaking to all humans because He knew our hearts could be distracted by pearls and other things. We clearly know how to worship. Worship, in fact, maybe one of those innate abilities. God gave us that ability because we were born with the ability to recognize God. Paul wrote about that in Romans 1:19 and 20.
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
The question is, “What are we worshiping?” What I would like to suggest is that worship is a heart issue—and that a heart transplant or changing of the heart may be in order. Start with Psalm 51. This psalm centers around a recognition of the heart issue—misplaced worship or sin—solely before God and a humble request of pardon. The psalmist states that he was born sinful and that God required faithfulness, or rightly placed worship, from him even when he was in the womb. In verses 10-12, the psalmist continues, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
You see, sin entered into the equation early. From that point, we were no longer born with a heart for the Creator of the Universe; we were born into the sin of want and desire of things of the flesh. It’s all we’ve ever known, that is, until Jesus came along, redeemed us, promised us an eternal home in heaven, and gave us the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts.
As we surrender more and more of ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit, we begin to change. We shift our focus of worship. We fall more in love with the Creator, the one that created us to be in harmony with Him.
As we surrender more and more of ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit, we begin to change. We shift our focus of worship. We fall more in love with the Creator, the one that created us to be in harmony with Him.
Worshiping God inside of a building is just the beginning because worship is not just a verb to be contained within the walls of a building, it is also a noun. It’s reverence and honor, everywhere, all the time. It’s having the heart to worship beyond the walls.
Take just a moment to meditate on the lyrics to the “Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman.
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
May it be so.
